The Good, the Bad, and the NotSoPretty
by Hitomi Shirou
Summary: AU, Explore the lives of a group of people. How their lives connect, how they change each other, and how they go through their own lives. Moved to completed.
1. Luck

**Author Commentary:** Okay, here we go. This is going to be a long oneshot series focussing on one or two characters and their hardships. This is an AU, so relationship changes and situation are totally my ideas. Hope you like.

PS - the age differences are as follows; China 17, Japan 4 1/2, S/N Korea 4, Thailand 3 1/2, Vietnam 3, Hong Kong 2, Taiwan 1

**Character:** China

**Rating:** M

**Warnings:** Yaoi, Angst, Dark themes, Some sexual relations/references

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters.

Wang Yao had never been the luckiest man in the world. Orphaned at a young age with his baby brother Hong Kong, he had gotten stuck at a horrible orphanage with no other options. Within the orphanage, he had taken to being a 'big brother' type person, looking after anyone who needed it. Some children were more receptive than others, and Yao managed to pick up four more little 'brothers', Honda Kiku, twins Im Yong-soo and Hyong-soo, and Thailand, and two little 'sisters', Vietnam and Taiwan. When Yao finally got fed up with the treatment he and his family received, he left the orphanage at the age of seventeen and took his siblings with him, unable to bear the thought of leaving them. This is where we will join our unlucky Asian in his life story.

"Onii-san, where are we going?" Kiku asked, holding onto Yao's right hand as they walked down the dreary street.

"I don't know yet aru, But we'll figure something out, won't we?" Yao said smiling down at his eldest little brother.

Kiku blinked and nodded, seeming to trust Yao's word.

"Aniki! Where are we going?!" Yong-soo said loudly, pulling on Yao's other hand.

Yao rolled his eyes, "I just told Kiku that I didn't know aru." he said to the little boy.

"Well I didn't hear." Yong-soo pouted. Hyong-soo, who was holding his twin's other hand, rolled his eyes.

Yao smiled, "Well, first things first, we need to find a place to stay for the night aru." Yao said, talking to all of his siblings, although little Thailand, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Taiwan couldn't really understand the situation all that well.

The family of eight wondered around the city slums for what seemed like hours, Yong-soo complaining that his feet were getting tired. Finally, they came upon a small, run-down looking Japanese Shinto shrine.

"_Religious people wouldn't turn away people in need."_ Yao thought optimistically. Steering his brothers up the steps, he knocked on the door of the house.

"Yes?" came an old, withered voice, "Who is it?"

"Excuse me." Yao called, trying to sound as pathetic as possible, "My siblings and I have no money or a place to stay aru. Would it be alright if we spent the night here aru?"

An old lady opened the door a crack. Yao smiled and made sure she could see all eight of them, trying to get as much sympathy as he could out of her. The old lady's eyes softened.

"Come inside. I've got extra rooms you can use." she said, ushering them inside and out of the cold.

"Thank you very much ma'am aru." Yao said, bowing deeply to her.

As he was getting his family settled down within the quaint home, he learned that the old lady's name was Yamamatsu Shizuka, and that her family had run this shrine since her family had immigrated to the new world many years ago, but since her husband had died six years ago she was the only one left.

"I'm very sorry aru." Yao said.

"It's all right dear. I only get a little lonely sometimes." Yamamatsu said.

Yao thought for a moment, "Yamamatsu-san, I noticed that you're Shrine is a little worse for wear aru."

Yamamatsu sighed, "Yes, I cannot fix it myself, and hiring someone to do it is so expensive."

Yao thought this over for a moment, "Um, I could fix it up for you aru."

"Oh, don't worry about it dear, I'm happy to take you in for the night." Yamamatsu smiled.

Yao smiled back, "Well, I was thinking that I could do some work around the shrine for rent aru. Just until I find a job and can afford my own place aru."

Yamamatsu smiled, "That would be acceptable. Thank you very much."

Yao smiled back, "No, thank you Yamamatsu-san aru."

And so it went. In the morning, Yao would do chores around the shrine, letting Yamamatsu look after his siblings. Once he was finished, he set out to find work, promising his brothers and sisters that he would return. For three months, this was the norm. It was early May when Yao came home late one night, faced flushed as if he had run the whole way.

"I found a job aru!" he said, smiling.

"Wow Aniki! Really?" Yong-soo said, hugging his older brother.

"Yeah, down at the Chinese restaurant a few blocks from here aru." Yao said gathering his brother up in his arms.

"That's wonderful dear. Good for you." Yamamatsu said, bouncing Taiwan on her bony knee.

Yao smiled, spurred on by his family and landlord, "Don't worry, I'll work extra hard for everyone aru." he said.

And he did. He worked as many shifts as he possibly could, trying to save up lots of money. His employer liked his work ethic and promoted him many times, which pleased Yao. Since Yamamatsu was so kind to him and his adoptive family, Yao saw no reason to move out and get his own place. Yamamatsu was happy with the arrangement as well, as she enjoyed looking after Kiku, Yong-soo and Hyong-soo, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, who had taken to calling the old lady 'Grandmother'. For another year, this arrangement worked out for everyone. However, if it's too good to be true, it almost always is.

Yao walked up the steps. It had been a long day at work. Two people had called in sick, and Yao, always one to exploit opportunity, had volunteered to take over their shifts.

As he opened the door, he was grabbed around the middle by a bombardment of siblings.

"Aiya!" Yao cried as he fell over onto the floor, "What's wrong aru? What's all this?"

Kiku looked up at him, confusion in his eyes, "Grandmother won't wake up."

Yao looked confused. Soothing his families worries, he went to the old lady's room to find out what was going on.

"Yamamatsu-san?" he called, "Are you all right aru?"

Hearing no answer, Yao opened the door and stepped inside. Yamamatsu was slumped over her old dresser, like she had fallen asleep checking her hair. Wishing that his first instinct was wrong, Yao walked over to the prone figure and laid his hand over her withered one.

It was cold as ice. Lifeless.

They had the funeral at the shrine, just like Yamamatsu's will stated that she wanted. Yao dressed all of his family in black, out of respect for the old lady who had taken them in out of the goodness of her ancient heart. Both Vietnam and Taiwan cried, saying they wanted Grandmother back, not understanding what 'death' meant just yet. Yao did his best to sooth them and assure them that Grandmother was in a good place now, and that she wanted all of them to be happy. The ownership of the shrine went to Yamamatsu's brother, who had left home in order to make it big in the city. Deciding the shrine wasn't worth the trouble, he ordered it taken down, giving Yao and his family two weeks to find other accommodations.

"Onii-san." Kiku said as they packed their bags, once more setting out, "What's going to happen now?"

Yao looked at the eager faces of his little siblings, which turned to him for guidance, "Well, I've saved up some money, and I've found an apartment for us across town aru."

"But what about you're job?" Thailand asked.

"I've already found a place to work. It's not much, but it'll pay better than the restaurant aru." Yao said, trying to sound optimistic.

The majority of his family accepted this with smiles, but Kiku looked as though he had something to say.

"What is it Kiku aru?" Yao asked.

Kiku turned back to his packing, "Nothing Onii-san."

Yao left it at that. Kiku had always been very private, so pressuring him would do nothing. The next day they took the train across town and moved into their new apartment. It was small, with only two bedrooms (one of which was more like a closet), so the boys got the bigger room while Vietnam and Taiwan got the smaller one. Yao sent Kiku and the twins off to school seeing as they were old enough now, and dropped his other siblings at a free daycare center while he was at work at the library. After the school day ended, Kiku, Yong-soo, and Hyong-soo were to go to the library, no detours, and wait inside with Yao.

"Is it always going to be like this Aniki?" Hyong-soo asked one day at dinner.

Yao looked up, "No. One day we'll all live in a big house and well have everything we ever wanted aru."

As Yao approached twenty, he was working full time at the library, and only Taiwan was left at the daycare center, as now all of her siblings were attending school. Kiku was considered brilliant by all of his teachers, and offered to bump him up a grade.

"Is that what you want aru? Do you want to move up Kiku?" Yao asked.

Kiku was quiet for a moment, "The class I'm in now is boring. I already learned everything."

Yao smiled and kissed his little brother on the forehead. The nest day he told the teachers that Kiku would like to move up. The Korean twins weren't as lucky as their brother; they ended up staying in the same grade. Yong-soo didn't seem to mind, but Hyong-soo seemed to be outraged, not speaking to Kiku at all for the next few weeks.

"That's enough aru! Yao finally said, "It's no ones fault that Kiku is smarter aru. Not yours or Kiku's or anyones! So you just be nice and stop acting like this aru."

"But I can do better!" Hyong-soo insisted, "I can do better than this!"

Yao sighed, kneeling down to look Hyong-soo in the eye, "Then why don't you aru?"

Hyong-soo looked away and mumbled something.

"I can't hear you, please speak up aru." Yao said.

"Because I don't want to be away from Yong-soo." Hyong-soo admitted, blushing.

Yao's eyes widened, then he smiled, "That's okay aru. It's perfectly fine to do that. You don't have to separate from Yong-soo if really don't want to aru. But you have to remember that you will see each other every day at home, and even if you aren't in the same class, you can still be together at school aru."

Hyong-soo shook his head, "But Yong-soo needs me."

No matter what anyone said, they could convince Hying-soo to advance without his brother. Yao found it endearing, and also rather cute, but he also worried for the twins future. This sort of thing could tear the two apart in their older years. To combat this, Yao tried his best to keep the family all together, no matter what.

"Come on everyone, we're going to the park today aru!" Yao said cheerily.

"Really? Yay!" Taiwan said, leaping into her eldest brothers arms.

"Don't you have work?" Vietnam asked.

"I got a day off aru." Yao explained, "Come on, lets make some lunch to take with us aru."

When the large family was at the park and settled, Yao took it upon himself to keep watch over all of them. He made sure that Hong Kong was alright on the swings, that the Korean twins were okay on the jungle gym, that Thailand was okay with his sisters in the sandbox, and Kiku was all right satisfying his curiosity looking at the various plant life. He sighed contently. Things may not have started out the best for them, but they were slowly turning over a new leaf.

"You have such cute children." came a feminine voice.

Yao looked to his left. A middle aged woman was smiling at him.

"Oh! Uh, their my little siblings actually aru." Yao said, blushing a little.

"Oh, I'm sorry." the lady said, "I thought you looked a little young to be a mother."

Yao bristled, but kept his anger in check, "I'm a man aru."

Now it was the lady's turn to blush, "Oh goodness! I'm so sorry. You look so . . . well, you so pretty that I mistook you."

"It's alright aru. It was an honest mistake." Yao assured her. They talked for a while before Yao decided that it was getting late and they needed to go home.

"_I don't look like a girl."_ Yao thought as he stood in front of the mirror after his shower that evening.

He turned his body a little, examining himself from all angles. Well, he did have long hair. And he was thinner than the average man. And his facial structure was very soft. Yao guessed if you were at a distance and looked at him from an angle, you could mistake him for a woman. If you squinted a bit.

Yao was walking home from work one evening after working late. This wasn't an uncommon thing for him to be doing, he worked late all the time. However, tonight was a little different. There was a teenager on the steps of the library. He was the strangest teen Yao had ever seen. He was tall, you could tell even though he was sitting down and sort of hunched over. He had snowy-silvery hair and light violet eyes. Even though he was tall, he couldn't have been older than fourteen or fifteen.

"Hello?" Yao said, coming around the tall youngster.

The boy looked up, eyes wide, "Who are you?"

Yao smiled, "Yao. What's your name aru?"

The teen blinked, "Ivan."

Ivan, a Russian name. It fit his accent, "What are you doing here aru?"

Ivan shrugged, "Needed to think."

Yao smiled, "What about?"

Ivan sighed, "My sister works and works. She never has time for me."

Yao smiled, he could relate, "Why does she work?"

"We don't have a lot of money, but she wants to make sure me and my little sister have everything we want, da?" Ivan said, kicking a stone.

"Well, then she's working because she loves you, right aru?" Yao said.

Ivan sighed, "Yes, I know that, but what I really want is to be with her, da?"

"Then tell her aru." Yao smiled.

Ivan looked up at him, "Is it really that simple?"

Yao thought for a moment, "I don't know, but it's worth a shot aru."

Yao extended his hand, offering to help him up. Ivan looked at the hand, then at Yao's face, then back to the hand. He grabbed it and hoisted himself up.

"Would Yao like to go out with me?" Ivan asked.

Yao jumped, "Uh, right now?"

"Da." Ivan squeezed his hand, which he hadn't let go of.

Yao thought about it. He really didn't know this boy, and he hadn't told his family that he would be staying extra late. But Ivan looked so hopeful, like nothing would be better than going out with Yao right now. Yao sighed, he'd worked later than this, hadn't he? Kiku could take care of his siblings. He had nothing to lose. Why not?

"Uh, sure aru." Yao said, hoping he wouldn't regret it.

Ivan's face lit up like the city square at Christmas, "Great, let's go get some coffee." he said, tugging Yao off in the opposite direction of his home.

"Sounds good." Yao said, trying to smile. Oh Tian, what had he gotten himself into.

Ivan smiled back at him, then increased his pace, forcing Yao to nearly run. They turned into a small coffee shop on the corner.

"What would you like?" Ivan asked, taking out a battered looking wallet.

"Oh, that's alright aru. You don't have to get me anything." Yao insisted.

"I want to, da?" Ivan said, walking up to the counter.

Yao sighed, "A small green tea, I don't like coffee aru."

Ivan smiled and ordered the two drinks. When they walked out of the shop, Ivan grabbed Yao's hand again.

"Would you like to go see a movie?" Ivan asked.

"_I've already come this far, why not?"_ Yao thought, "Sounds nice aru." he said.

Ivan smiled again, tugging Yao out onto the street. Yao was about to protest, but he saw that they were at a crosswalk.

The two of them bought their movie ticket and got their seats at the theater which was playing a comedy. The whole time, Ivan never let go of Yao's hand. Yao felt a little silly, being out with a teenager, but it felt nice, to be with someone like this. About halfway through the movie, Yao leaned his head on Ivan's shoulder, or rather, his upper arm (damn he was tall). Ivan turned to him and smiled.

"I had a nice time." Ivan said as the pair made their way back to Yao's house (Ivan insisted that he walk Yao home).

"It was nice aru." Yao said, smiling. When they came to Yao's apartment building, they stopped just outside the door.

"I guess this is goodbye then, da?" Ivan said sadly.

"Yeah." Yao said. Odd, he felt sort of sad that the night was over.

Ivan squeezed his hand. Before Yao could even blink, Ivan's lips were on his, melding perfectly with his lips. Without even thinking, Yao kissed back. Their mouths moved together, meshing as one. Ivan pulled away slowly, watching Yao's flushed face. He leaned forward again, so his mouth was next to Yao's ear.

He said something in Russian, squeezed Yao's hand and walked away. Yao watched him leave, bringing a hand up to his lips, the memory of the kiss lingering there. He blushed tenfold and all but ran into the building and up the stairs to his apartment. Slamming the door, he leaned back against it and brought his hand up to his mouth again. What had he been thinking? Going out with a total stranger. And a teenager at that! Yao felt foolish now.

"Brother?" came Thailand's voice, "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me aru." Yao said, pulling on his best 'everything is totally normal' face, "What are you doing up aru?"

"I couldn't sleep." he said.

Yao smiled, leaning over to pick up the young boy, "I'll make you some warm milk aru."

As time went on, Yao never forgot the young Russian. Every now and then, he would bring his hand up to his lips in memory of his first kiss. However, as time went on, Yao noticed a change in Kiku. Kiku got quieter and quieter as he got older, instead withdrawing inward into his mind. Yao left it alone until Kiku started refusing to come out of the bathroom, the only room in the apartment with a lock.

"Kiku! Come out of there aru!" Yao called through the thin wood.

"Tell us what's wrong Nii-chan!" Taiwan cried, slapping the door with her small hands.

"Nothing's wrong." Kiku said quietly, "I just want some privacy."

Privacy, Yao thought. Well, Kiku was thirteen, and kids his age needed space. Maybe it was time to move into a bigger apartment. Three months later, they moved into a new apartment, this one with three bedrooms, four if you counted the box room, which consisted of a window and enough room for a futon and a small dresser for clothing. Kiku insisted he get a room to himself.

"You can have your own bedroom only if you agree to take the box room aru." Yao said.

"Fine." Kiku agreed, "I don't need that much space anyway."

For a while, this worked. Kiku got enough privacy to keep him happy and the rest of the family saw him more happy. That is until Kiku turned sixteen. Yao saw the boy slowly changing for the worse. He stopped socializing with everyone, preferring to stay locked up in his room. One day, Yao knocked on his door lightly.

"Kiku?" he called softly, "Are you there aru?"

He heard a muffled noise and decided that it was alright to enter. Slowly opening the door, he peered into the room. Kiku was lying down on his futon, the laptop he had won in a contest open in front of him.

"Are you feeling okay aru?" Yao asked.

"Fine." Kiku said curtly.

Yao sat down on the futon next to Kiku, "Are you sure aru? You've been acting strangely lately aru."

"I'm fine Yao, really." Kiku insisted.

"Well, if you ever need to talk, I'll listen aru." Yao said, smiling at his little brother.

"Yeah, sure." Kiku said.

Yao frowned, but left it at that. He had never really been a 'teenager', so he couldn't really understand what Kiku might be going through. Still, he'd support Kiku no matter what.

Or so he thought.

"Stop smothering me!" Kiku shouted at Yao.

"I'll stop if you tell me what's wrong with you lately aru!" Yao shouted back at the enraged eighteen year old.

"Nothing's wrong! Stop asking!" Kiku shouted.

"Stop it aru! Stop denying it! You're obviously troubled by something aru! If you don't tell us, we can't help you aru!" Yao cried.

"Just shut up!" Kiku shouted, finally standing up from the dinner table and throwing his bowl of rice at Yao. It bounced off Yao's shoulder and rolled away, scattering rice everywhere.

"Ki . . . Kiku?" Yao said, looking up at the boy he'd raised. What had happened?

Kiku looked momentarily guilty, then ran to his room and locked the door.

"Nii-chan!" Taiwan called after her favorite brother. It was useless, Kiku only turned on his music and ignored the rest of the world.

The next morning, Kiku was gone.

Kiku had taken everything he owned and left during the night. Only the empty dresser and folded up futon and sheets were left. Taiwan cried the whole day, Thailand sighed and shook his head, Hong Kong looked for someone's reassurance, Vietnam made a nasty comment, Yong-soo locked himself in his shared room, and Hyong-soo also said something nasty.

Yao only stood there in disbelief.

His little Kiku? Gone in a flurry of anger? Impossible. Kiku was always the collected one. Always the one who looked after everyone when Yao couldn't. He was the smartest, nicest, most wonderful brother anyone could have ever had. When had he become this way? When had he become a coiled spring that was ready to snap under the slightest pressure?

"What happens now?" Hong Kong asked Yao.

Yao was quiet for a moment, "Kiku needs some time aru. Don't worry, he'll come home aru."

Hong Kong looked doubtful, "But why did he leave in the first place?"

Yao was quiet for a long moment, "I don't know aru." he whispered.

A month later, the household was noisy once again.

"Stop it both of you aru!" Yao said, grabbing Yong-soo while Thailand and Hong Kong grabbed Hyong-soo, "What's the matter with you two aru? Why are you fighting aru?"

Yong-soo spat some blood on the floor, "Ask him, he started it."

Hyong-soo growled, "I wouldn't have started it if you weren't so annoying."

Yong-soo glared, "Oh, _I'm_ annoying? Take a look in the mirror. You're so uptight, it's like you have no sense of fun at all."

Hyong-soo was restrained again, "At least I don't have stupid dreams of being a 'B-Boy' or whatever it is you want to do."

Yong-soo flushed, "That's a perfectly fine ambition! I want to dance!"

"Then dance some real dance! Not those stupid moves you learnt from street thugs!" Hyong-soo countered.

"Both of you! Enough aru!" Yao shouted, "Why are you fighting aru? You're brothers aru! Twins!"

Hyong-soo turned on Yao, "Kiku was our brother, that didn't stop him." he said through gritted teeth.

A week later, both of the Im twins set out into the world, saying their goodbyes separately. Yong-soo was off to learn how to break dance, and Hyong-soo was off to learn how to break dance, but neither would admit it. Yong-soo was going to travel around the country and to other countries, learning as he went, but Hyong-soo was going to a school in their home country of Korea. They didn't even glance each others way as they left.

The next day at work in the library, one of Yao's coworkers came up to him.

"Oi, Are you all right?" he asked, furrowing his bushy brows.

"I'm fine Arthur, just some family drama aru." Yao said, smiling weakly at the younger man.

"Ah, that's not good." Arthur sat down next to Yao, "Wanna talk about it?"

Yao sighed, and was about to open up to the Brit, but their snarky boss walked by and he thought better of it, "Maybe later aru. We can have a couple drinks at my place aru."

"Sounds good, I'll see you after work." Arthur said, never one to pass up free alcohol.

Later that evening, Yao was spilling his guts while Arthur drunkenly listened.

"And they left aru!" Yao cried, slurring slightly, "They left and didn't even say goodbye to each other."

Arthur swayed slightly, "Well, it could be wor-_hic_-worse. You're how old Yao? Twenty-five? Twenty-six?"

"Thirty aru." Yao said.

"Looking good." Arthur said, downing another shot of whiskey, "You're thirty and you're still young and good looking and single. You've got a good job that pay's alright. You've got your whole life ahead of you."

Yao rolled his eyes, "I'm thirty and old as hell, and a virgin aru. I'm in a dead end job that only just feeds my family and pays the bills aru. My high school education isn't taking me anywhere and my family is falling apart at the seams aru."

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Pessimist."

At that moment, Hong Kong walked in the door. Seeing Arthur, he stopped.

"Oh, Hong Kong, this is Arthur Kirkland, my coworker aru. Arthur this is my little brother, Wang Hong Kong."

"Charmed." Arthur said, his British accent making him sound more drunk than he really was.

"N-nice to meet you." Hong Kong said, bowing lower that he needed to and nearly falling over. Strange, Hong Kong was alway so graceful, and since when did he have a stutter?

That night Arthur caught a taxi home, promising to pay for the clock he knocked over. Yao saw him off and promised to see him at work the next day. Stumbling back up the steps, Yao simply undressed himself and fell down on his bed, sleeping off the booze in his system.

The next morning, Yao woke up with a hangover.

"Ugh, this is why I hate alcohol aru." Yao groaned as he stepped into the kitchen where Vietnam was making breakfast.

"It's weird to see you get drunk brother. Usually you control yourself." Vietnam said, laying down a plate of breakfast in front of him.

Yao picked up his chopsticks, "I guess I've been a little out of sorts lately aru." he said, taking a bite of his food, "This is good Vietnam aru."

Vietnam smiled. Hong Kong walked into the kitchen, "Good morning." he said.

"Morning." the three in the kitchen (Thailand was standing in the corner washing his plate) mirrored.

Hong Kong sat next to Yao, "So, who's Arthur?" he asked casually.

"Just a friend from work aru." Yao answered, "Why?"

"No reason." Hong Kong mumbled.

From that day on, Yao saw more and more of Hong Kong at the library. Mostly on day's that he knew that Arthur was working. Hong Kong would spend hours in old literature section where Arthur worked, just wandering around and picking up books at random, asking Arthur about them. He made sure to visit Yao's section three or more times whenever he came, to not appear suspicious. Yao noticed though, he always noticed. However, he didn't say anything. If Hong Kong wanted to talk about it, he would.

"I'm leaving for work aru!" Yao called.

"Is Arthur going to be working today?" Hong Kong asked.

"Yes." Yao replied. What was the sudden fascination with the Brit?

"I'll go with you." Hong Kong said, jumping up and sliding on his coat and boots.

"Okay aru." Yao said. Well, if he had something to interest him, then Yao had no qualms with it.

The next time Arthur came over for drinks, the two were alone in the house.

"No really!" Arthur said, pointing a finger at Yao, "You're good looking for a thirty year old. I would have pegged you as mid twenties at the most!"

"Oh stop it aru." Yao said, blushing, "I'm not that good looking aru."

"Don't be so fucking humble Yao. You look good." Arthur said, downing another shot.

"Maybe it's 'cause I'm a virgin aru." Yao wondered aloud.

Arthur smirked, "We can fix that, you know." he said.

Yao smirked back, "Are you offering aru?"

Arthur leaned over the table, "Only if you want it to be."

A few minutes later, the pair was rolling around on the floor in Yao's bedroom, pulling at each others clothes and kissing exposed skin. Yao whimpered as he was entered roughly, but moaned when Arthur started thrusting. The pair did it five times; twice on the floor, twice on the bed, and once over the desk. Arthur ran his fingers through Yao's silky black hair as Yao bit Arthur's shoulder and scratched his back. Yao moaned and sighed sweetly as Arthur slammed him roughly into the mattress/floor/desk. It's a drunken paradox; it doesn't make sense to anyone but the two committing the sinful act.

The morning after, Yao woke up first, holding his head and rubbing his back.

"Ouch, that hurts aru." he said.

"Ugh, I got a splittn' headache." Arthur groaned. He looked over at Yao, "You alright?" he asked.

"Sore aru." Yao said, rubbing his lower back.

Arthur laughed, "Sorry. It's sort of an occupational hazard."

Yao rolled his eyes and got up out of bed. At that moment the door opened and in stepped Hong Kong.

"Brother, why was you're shirt on the fl- !" the fifteen year old stopped. Flicking his eyes from Yao to Arthur and back, he shouted, "I hate you!"

"Hong Kong!" Yao shouted after the boy, but Hong Kong had already locked himself in the bathroom.

"Um . . ." Arthur said, pulling on his clothing, "I think I should go."

"That's probably for the best aru." Yao said, handing the Brit his shirt.

When Arthur was gone, Yao turned his attention to the distraught teen in the bathroom, "Hong Kong." he called softly, "What's wrong aru?"

"You slept with him you bastard!" Hong Kong shouts, his voice breaking a little from his crying.

"We were both drunk aru. If I could take it back, I would aru. But what's done is done, and we can't change it aru." Yao said, not knowing why Hong Kong was making such a huge fuss about this.

"I-I liked him." Hong Kong said softly, sobbing a little.

Yao sighed, "Yeah, I noticed aru. But-"

"I _liked him_ like him!" Hong Kong shouted.

Yao was startled. He had had a hunch as to why Hong Kong spent so much time around Arthur, but he'd hoped he'd been wrong.

"Oh Hong Kong aru." he said, leaning his head against the door, "I'm sorry aru."

"You should be." Hong Kong snapped.

Yao sighed again, "Hong Kong, you can be mad at me aru, but I want you to remember that Arthur is twenty-three, and you're only fifteen aru. It never would have worked out aru."

Hong Kong sniffed, "I know that."

Yao smiled sadly, "Won't you come out aru? I'll make you some fried rice for breakfast aru. You're favorite."

"I'd like to be alone for a bit." Hong Kong said, only just loud enough for Yao to hear.

Yao sighed, "If that's what you want aru."

That night, Yao cried.

What had happened to his family? Where had sweet little Kiku gone to? Where was the time when the twins refused to separate? Where had Hong Kong's innocence gone to? When had Yao stopped being 'Onii-san' and 'Aniki'? He had done everything in his power to keep his family together, but it hadn't been enough. Hong Kong was already falling in love and getting his heart broken, Hyong-soo and Yong-soo wouldn't even look at each other, and no one had heard from Kiku since he left. What had he done wrong? Yao had loved his family with all of his heart, but now it was in tatters. Thailand was contemplating moving out into his own place, away from all of the drama, Vietnam starting to attract unfavorable company, and Taiwan had never gotten over Kiku leaving, blaming Yao for it. Yao closed his eyes and retreated to that one night with the Russian stranger who kissed him. Raising a hand to his lips, he remembered the soft lips on his own.

After a month and a half, Hong Kong started to get over Arthur and the fact that Yao had slept with him. It happened slowly, and it was another two weeks before Hong Kong said a word to Yao, but it was progress. Thailand had decided against moving out, finding places were too expensive lately. Vietnam had smartened up and broke up with her dead-beat boyfriend before things got worse. Taiwan was getting over Kiku's absence, and slowly forgiving Yao. The Im twins had even agreed to both stay over at the same time during the upcoming holidays. There was still no word from Kiku, but Yao wasn't too concerned, Kiku always managed to take care of himself.

Or so Yao thought.

A year after Kiku left, Yao approaching his thirty-first birthday, he got a call from a stranger.

"Hello?" Yao asked, leaning against the wall where the phone was hung up.

"Hello, is this Yao Wang?" came a German accented male voice.

"Yes. Who is this aru?" Yao asked, he didn't have any German friends.

"My name is Ludwig Beilschmidt. I'm a friend of Kiku Honda."

Yao's brain stopped working, "Oh? How is he aru?"

Ludwig was quiet, "He's . . . we think he might be sick. He's lost a lot of weight and refuses to eat."

"Is he going to be okay aru?" Yao said worriedly.

Ludwig was about to answer when a slight scuffle was heard. A new voice came through the phone, one Yao hadn't heard in ages.

"Onii-san?" Kiku said, sounding like he was crying, "Onii-san is that you?"

"Yes, it's me Kiku aru." Yao said. The entire family looked up at Yao's words.

"I'm so sorry Onii-san." Kiku said, crying now, "I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me."

"It's okay aru. No one hates you aru." Yao comforted.

Kiku burst into tears over the phone, after a moment the crying faded into the background as Ludwig took back the phone.

"I was thinking that it would be best if he went home. He family would know him better than anyone." he said.

"Yes, please bring him home aru." Yao said.

Three day's later, a tall blonde and a small brunette knocked on the door.

"Who is it aru?" Yao asked.

"I'm Ludwig and this is Feliciano. I called a few days ago about you're brother." the tall blonde said.

Yao's eyes widened, "Oh! It's you aru." he said, "Where is Kiku aru?"

"Ve~, he's in the car, sleeping." Feliciano said, "Should we go get him for you?"

Yao nodded, "I'll go with you aru."

When they reached the car, Yao couldn't believe how tiny Kiku had gotten. He had no excess body fat; his bones jutted out of places where lean muscle should have covered. His cheeks and eyes were sunken and his hair looked a little thin. His once beautifully pale skin was now translucent and paper-thin. If Yao were to touch him, he would surely break.

Ludwig leaned over and gently shook Kiku's shoulder, "Kiku, we're here, it's time to wake up." he said softly.

Kiku stirred, "Ludwig-san?" he said, his voice scratchy, "Is Onii-san there?"

Yao brushed some hair away from Kiku's eyes, "I'm right here sweetie aru. I'll take care of you now aru."

Kiku opened his eyes and looked at Yao, "Onii-san, I'm so sorry." he said, starting to cry.

Yao pulled him into a hug, "It's okay. Shh, it's okay aru. I forgive you aru."

When Kiku was in the house (Ludwig had to carry him up because his legs were so weak), Yao sat him down at the table, "I'll make you something to eat aru."

Kiku shook his head, "I'm not hungry."

Ludwig and Feliciano exchanged a glance, "Kiku, you need to eat." Feliciano said.

"I'm not hungry though." Kiku insisted.

Yao was starting to worry, "Are you sure aru?" he asked.

Kiku tried to smile, "Yes, I'm not hungry."

Yao furrowed his eyebrows, "Well, maybe you should go lie down for a while aru. You look tired aru."

Kiku nodded and tried to stand. His legs gave out underneath him and he flopped back down. Yao was at his side in a moment and helped him up. Taking him to his old room, Kiku stopped when he saw the contents of the room.

It was exactly as he left it. The empty dresser, the folded futon and sheets in the corner. There was even any dust covering the floor or items. Seeing this, Kiku broke down in tears again. Yao only held him and rocked him back and forth as Ludwig set up the futon. When Kiku was asleep, Yao ushered to two others into the living room to talk.

"What's wrong with him aru?" Yao asked.

Ludwig looked strained, "We don't know. We noticed that he started losing a lot of weight a few months back. He tried to ask him what was wrong, but he refused to tell us. Then we noticed he had stopped eating. No matter what we did, he wouldn't eat, telling us that he wasn't hungry or that he wasn't feeling well. Then, a week ago, he collapsed. We decided enough was enough and that he needed to go home to work this out."

Yao nodded. Sending him home was probably the best thing for him, "Has he seen a doctor aru?"

Feliciano shook his head, "No, when we tried to take him, he only fought us."

"Well, thank you for what you've done aru. Will you be staying close by aru?" Yao asked.

"Yeah. We'd like to stick around until he's better." Ludwig said, then added, "We've already found other accommodations, so you don't have to put us up."

Yao thanked them again, offered them some tea, then sent them on their way. Once they were gone, he went straight to Kiku's room.

"Kiku." he called softly, "Are you awake aru?"

Kiku shifted and looked up at Yao with tired eyes, "Yeah?"

"How are you feeling aru?" Yao said, smiling.

"Tired." Kiku replied.

The door opening and shutting, followed by the sound of voices floated into the house, "Aniki?" came Yong-soo's voice, "Where are you?"

"In here aru." Yao called.

"In Kiku's old room? Why would you be in th- !" Thailand said, but was stopped when they saw Kiku on the futon.

"Kiku!" they all shouted at once, pouring into the tiny room. Every member of the family squished themselves into the room. The twins were kneeling next to Kiku's head, side by side for the first time in a long time. Thailand was standing behind Yao, nearly squished up against the wall. Vietnam was kneeling beside Yao at Kiku's bedside. Hong Kong was on Yao's other side, and Taiwan had taken it upon herself to lay down next to Kiku on the futon.

"Nii-san!" Taiwan said, looping her arms around Kiku's neck, "You're home!"

Kiku lifted a skeletal hand and patted Taiwan's back, "Hello Taiwan."

"Hey." Thailand said, "You're not looking so good. Are you okay?"

The rest of the family suddenly took notice of Kiku's non-existent weight.

"Yeah Kiku, you're looking really skinny." Vietnam said.

"Nii-san, are you sick?" Taiwan asked.

"Yeah, you're like a skeleton." Hyong-soo and Yong-soo said at the same time. They looked over at one another for a moment, then looked away.

"I'm fine. Nothing to worry about." Kiku said, but it sounded fake, like he'd said it a million times.

Yao shook his head, "No Kiku, you're sick aru."

Kiku shook his head, "I'll be fine."

Yao's lips formed a tight line. He shooed everyone from the room, saying that Kiku needed to rest.

"What are we going to do?" Vietnam asked.

"We should call a doctor aru." Yao said, "It'll be a little difficult since he doesn't want to see one aru, but we should try our best to get him help aru."

The Wang/Im/Honda family all agreed to do their best in helping Kiku. That night when everyone had gone to bed, Yao was woken up by a scream from down the hall.

Leaping up and out of bed, Yao raced down the hall to the bathroom, where Taiwan was crying and yelling for help.

"Taiwan!" Yong-soo asked, "What's wrong?"

"Kiku's dead!" she cried.

Yao threw open the bathroom door. Kiku was unconscious on the floor next to the full bathtub. His clothing was scattered around the floor, leaving Kiku naked. For the first time, Yao saw the extent of the damage Kiku's body had undertaken.

There was nothing to him. Skin stretched over a bone frame. His knees were wider than his thighs. You could count every one of his ribs. Bones that would otherwise be covered with muscle or flesh jutted out and nearly poked through the skin.

Yao rushed forward, taking Kiku's wrist into his hand. Feeling around for a pulse, he momentarily panicked when he couldn't find one. When he felt the tiny pulsation he was both relieved and worried at the same time.

"_He's alive, but it's so weak."_ he thought, "Call an ambulance aru! Now!"

When Yao thought of this night, he would alway remember flashing red lights and wailing sirens. Sitting in the ambulance with Kiku hooked up to various machines and being filed with questionable fluids via a network of tubes, Yao could only think of what he could have done to prevent this.

Eight hours later, when his entire family minus Kiku was in the waiting room, a young nurse called for them.

"Mr. Wang?" she called, "You can see Mr. Honda now."

Everyone jumped up. Following the nurse down the long hallways, they finally came to the room where Kiku was resting.

"Dr. Braginski is still in there doing the follow up, but you came go in and see you brother." the nurse said. She gave them a sad smile and walked away.

Yao opened the door and walked into the room. Seeing Kiku on the bed, he rushed forward, ignoring the tall doctor beside him.

"Kiku!" he cried, gripping the small hand in both of his.

The large family surrounded Kiku's bed, creating a sort of wall between him and the rest of the world.

"He can't hear you." the doctor said. Yao froze, he knew that voice. Turning, he looked up into the face that had only visited him in his dreams for the last eleven years.

Ivan smiled down at him, "He's still unconscious, but he'll probably be awake in a few hours."

Yao was a little dumbstruck, "Uh, yes, thank you aru."

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Taiwan asked.

Ivan's/Dr. Braginski's smile turned a little sad, "Ah, I'll tell you when Mr. Honda wakes up, so you can all handle it together."

"Thank you aru." Yao said.

Ivan/Dr. Braginski reached out and gently touched Yao's arm, "I'd very much like to talk to you later, if that's all right with you."

"That would be fine aru." Yao said, not taking his eyes of Ivan's/Dr. Braginski's.

Ivan/Dr. Braginski smiled and left the room. Yao stared at the closed door for another moment before turning his attention back to his little brother.

Another three hours later, Kiku stirred, "Onii-san?" he croaked.

"Kiku!" Yao said, leaning over his little brother, "How are you feeling aru?"

Kiku groaned, "What happened?"

"I'll call the doctor." Vietnam said, pressing the button on the side of the bed.

When Ivan/Dr. Braginski was once agin in the room, the family quieted, waiting for the diagnosis.

"Mr. Honda has Anorexia Nervosa." the tall Russian said. There was a sudden clamor among the family.

"Anorexia?! Are you serious?" Thailand said, disbelieving.

"Only girls get anorexia!" the Im twins shouted at the same time.

"Quack!" Taiwan yelled.

"Someone get a doctor who knows what the hell he's doing!" Hong Kong shouted.

"Kiku's smarter than that! He wouldn't do that to himself! Right Kiku?" Vietnam said, turning to her brother. The room went quiet as they waited for Kiku's answer.

Kiku said nothing, only looked down at his hands and started to cry.

It was answer enough for everyone.

"Oh Kiku." Yao said, scooping the tiny man into his arms. The rest of the family just stood around in shock.

"Last night Kiku's system finally shut down. If you hadn't brought him to the hospital when you did, he probably would have died." Dr. Braginski said.

Hyong-soo shook himself of his stupor, "How do you treat it?" he asked, voice low.

"We'll basically pump the necessary nutrients into his body via IV while our phycologist staff works through the phycological aspect of the problem." Dr. Braginski said, "Once his body is stable, he can go home, but he'll need to be monitored and have to have regular check-ups with a therapist and a doctor. I'll also prescribe a diet that you'll have to make sure he follows."

Yao nodded, "Thank you Dr. Braginski aru."

Ivan/Dr. Braginski smiled, "It was my pleasure Mr. Wang."

When Ivan/Dr. Braginski was gone, Kiku looked up at his brother, "Onii-san?" he asked.

"Yes?" Yao said, squeezing his arms around Kiku.

"Are you angry with me?" he asked.

Yao smiled sadly, "No. I'm not angry aru. I'm just very sad aru."

Kiku closed his eyes and began to cry again, apologizing to everyone over and over again. He did this until he fell asleep in Yao's arms. When the nurse came in to tell them that though visiting hours were over, but they could still stay since they were family, they chose to stay. Yao sat up on the bed with Kiku while the others found chairs to sit down in.

"Why would Kiku do this to himself?" Yong-soo asked.

No one answered for a long moment, "Maybe he just . . . Well he could have . . . I don't know." Hyong-soo said, slumping back in his chair next to Yong-soo. Yong-soo reached over and took Hyong-soo's hand in his, which Hyong-soo gripped tightly.

Yao only stroked Kiku's hair, "It doesn't matter right now aru. What we need to do is to support Kiku no matter what aru."

The family all silently agreed and decided to get some sleep. A few cots were pulled out and taken up by Vietnam, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Thailand, Hyong-soo, and Yong-soo made themselves as comfortable as they could in the chairs. Yao stayed awake and watched over Kiku.

The family stayed this way for a while, only going home at Kiku and the nurses insistence. Kiku made steady progress in terms of weight, but still refused to eat. Ivan/Dr. Braginski personally oversaw the treatment, which, according to the nurses, was very unusual for him. Yao found himself bring a hand to hips lips more and more.

"_Stop it."_ he berated himself, _"This is no time to be thinking of romance. Kiku needs my full attention."_

So, Yao held off on talking to 'Ivan' for as long as he could, instead addressing 'Dr. Braginski' with medical questions concerning Kiku.

"How's his condition aru?" Yao asked.

"His body is responding well to the IV supplements, but he refuses to eat." Dr. Braginski said, "I'm going to send him to one of our best Psychiatrists on staff."

Yao bowed, "Thank you very much aru."

Ivan/Dr. Braginski smile, "You're very welcome. It's my pleasure really."

When Kiku finally comes home, Ludwig and Feliciano are also there waiting for him. Feliciano bursts into tears about how he should have figured it out and helped Kiku before it got so bad. Both Kiku and Ludwig calmed him down as much as they could. Kiku assured them that he was getting better and he would keep them updated on his condition. Kiku, however, still didn't want to eat.

"Come on Kiku, it's good." Taiwan said, offering him some rice.

"I just don't feel like eating." Kiku said sadly.

"Well, could you please eat anyway? For us?" Yong-soo pleaded.

Kiku was silent for a moment, then he slowly picked up his chopsticks and began to take small bites of his meal. Everyone breath a sigh of relief.

Late one night, someone knocked on the door.

"I'll get it aru." Yao called, rushing for the front door.

Upon opening the door, he stopped, "Dr. Braginski." he breathed, "What are you doing here aru?"

Ivan/Dr. Braginski smiled, "I'm off of work now, da? Would you please call me by my name Yao?"

Fifteen minutes later, Yao and Ivan are taking a walk through a nearby park.

"I've thought about you a lot you know." Ivan said, watching Yao out of the corner of his eye.

"I've thought about you too aru." Yao replied softly.

Ivan stopped and smiled at Yao, "I'd very much like to go out with Yao again."

Yao blushed, "I-I don't have time for romance right now aru. Kiku needs my full attention aru."

Ivan smiled wider, "Yes, of course."

Yao nodded his head once, "I'm glad you under-"

"So we will go out after Kiku is better then, da?"

Yao resisted the urge to bludgeon his own brains out, "Don't you have a lover of something?"

Ivan tilted his head to one side, "Eh? How did you come up with that?"

Yao pointed to his left hand, "You have a tan line around you're ring finger aru, meaning you have a fiance or a wife aru."

Ivan looked at his finger, "This is from my ex-fiance." he said quietly.

Yao blushed a little, "Oh, I'm sorry aru."

Ivan smiled at him, "Don't be, it was my fault anyway, da?" he rubbed the small white-ish band around his finger, "I could not control myself around him and ended up driving him away." he looked up at Yao and smiled again, "But don't worry, I've learned my lesson, da?" he walked slowly up to Yao and ran the back of his hand down the side of Yao's face, "I would never hurt you." he whispered.

Yao shivered, taking a good look at the man in front of him for the first time. He was taller; a lot taller. Yao had never seen anyone quite as tall as Ivan, he barely came up to his collarbone. The hair hadn't changed, but a small amount of madness now swam in the violet depths of his eyes. He had kept his round, childish face, but instead of sitting on the lanky body of a teen, it topped a well muscled and heavyset body of a man. Despite this huge mass, he remained graceful and gentle. Yao couldn't help but be endeared by this child in a mans body.

"I'm old Ivan aru." Yao said.

Ivan smiled, "You're not old Yao. Mid twenties is very young, da?"

Yao rolled his eyes, "I'm thirty one aru."

Ivan seemed surprised, "Eh? Really? But you look so beautiful."

Yao blushed a little, "Uh, thank you aru."

Ivan smiled again, "It doesn't matter how old you are, I still love you."

Yao jumped back, "L-love? But we barely know each other aru!"

Ivan only smiled wider, "I don't care, I still love you."

"D-don't say such things aru!" Yao said, turning his back on Ivan.

Ivan giggled and wrapped his arms around Yao, "Are you embarrassed Yao-Yao?" he said cheerily.

Yao tried to squirm out of the monster grip, "Don't call me that aru!"

Ivan laughed and rested his forehead on Yao's shoulder, "Yao, I love you. I have ever since that night."

Yao froze, blushing from his toes to his hairline, "How can you say that aru? You were going to be married aru."

Ivan nuzzled Yao's neck, "I thought I could quench the thirst for you, but it didn't work. Only my precious Yao can satisfy me."

Yao shivered, "S-satisfy?" he nearly squeaked.

Ivan giggled, "Don't worry, I won't force you. We can get to that after we start going out."

Yao pouted, "Pervert aru."

Ivan only giggled again, "You make me that way."

A sudden beeping filled the calm air. Ivan, looking annoyed, pulled a pager out of his pocket, "Ah, I am needed at the hospital."

Yao understood, "Go aru. You have lives to save aru."

Ivan smiled at him, "When Kiku gets better, we will go out, da?"

Yao thought about it for a moment. Did he really want to go out with this specter from his past? Deciding that if it didn't work out, he could always back out later Yao smiled and nodded, "Yes, we will go out aru."

Ivan's face lit up, just like that day eleven years ago, "Good." Ivan said, then he leaned down to capture Yao's lips once more.

"_Exactly as I remembered it to be."_ Yao thought as he kissed back. Their lips meshed together and became one. Ivan pulled back slowly and smiled at Yao. Just like last time, he whispered something in Russian into Yao's ear before walking away.

Yao stood there, stupefied. His second kiss in his whole life, given to the same man. Though he fully remembered sleeping with Arthur, he never recalled kissing him, ever. It's amazing to Yao, almost like a fairy tale.

Over the next few weeks, Kiku continues to only eat when pressured. Feliciano made him pasta and demanded he eat all of it. Ludwig took over the technical part of Kiku's treatment, tallying up daily intake and getting Kiku on the scales. Yao and the rest of the family supported Kiku in anyway they could, cooking for him, eating with him, telling him how good he was doing, and so on. Yao's relationship with Ivan stayed under the wraps for now, but he knew that they would find out sooner or later. Yong-soo's and Hyong-soo's relationship improved too. They started talking to one another again, and even started teaching each other moves that they had learned. Yong-soo needed to learn the basics more, and Hyong-soo's moves were too 'flat'; he had no moves that he made himself. They silently made amends and silently agreed to never fight again.

One day, nearly a month after Kiku came home from the hospital, he walked in the door and went straight for the refrigerator.

"Onii-san, what is there to eat?" he asked Yao.

"I think there's some left over wonton soup aru." Yao said. Then he looked up realizing something, "Kiku! You're eating aru!"

Kiku looked over at Yao, and then smiled, "I'm hungry."

Yao leapt up and wrapped his arms around Kiku, "Good boy Kiku aru! You're getting better aru!"

Kiku hugged Yao back, "Yeah. Thank you Onii-san."

"What's all the commotion?" Yong-soo asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Kiku's eating aru!" Yao said.

Yong-soo is startled, "Holy hell, really?"

The entire family is suddenly in the kitchen, telling Kiku how proud they are for his accomplishment. Kiku smiled at his family, all the while slurping his soup.

"So what brought the change? Yesterday you wouldn't even look at food until we made you." Vietnam asked.

Kiku blushed, "N-no reason." he said quietly through a mouthful of soup.

Yong-soo picked up on the change in Kiku's behavior, "Oh-ho, did you meet someone?"

The light dusting of pink spread to cover Kiku's whole face, answering the question.

"What's she like?" Taiwan asked.

"Is she cute?" Thailand teased.

"Is she a 'he'?" the Im twins asked, poking Kiku in the ribs.

Kiku stuffed his mouth full of soup so he couldn't answer, skillfully avoiding the questions.

Yao laughed as his family teased and joked with one another. For the first time in a long time, he felt like all was right in the world.

A few weeks later, Kiku was doing much better, and Yao was on the second date in his life.

"You look good." Ivan said, smiling at Yao from across the table.

Yao blushed, "Th-thank you aru."

Ivan smiled at him, "You haven't changed in all this time, Yao-Yao."

Yao bristled at the name, "You've changed a lot aru." he said, taking a bite of his meal.

Ivan smiled, "Fourteen to twenty-five is a bigger time than twenty to thirty-one, da? In terms of bodily growth anyway."

Yao nodded, "So, did things go well with your sister aru?"

Ivan nodded, "I see Katyusha whenever I can. She doesn't have to work as much, now that Natalia and have 'left the nest'."

Yao smiled, "That's good aru. It's good to have a close family aru."

"You would know, da?" Ivan said.

Yao stiffened, then smiled, "Yes aru. Yes, I would know aru."

They date for three months before Yao goes over to Ivan's house. When he steps into the spacious home, he's a little overwhelmed.

"It's really big aru." Yao said, "You live here alone aru?"

Ivan nodded, "My ex lived here with me for a while with his two brothers, but he left."

Yao smiled at Ivan, "Well, it must have been very lively aru."

"Actually, they were all very quiet, like little mice." Ivan said. Yao smiled again and turned to hang up his coat.

He jumped when he felt arms wrap around him from behind, "Ah! Ivan, what are you doing aru?"

"Yao-Yao is finally in my home. I cannot hold back any longer, da?" Ivan said huskily into Yao's ear. Yao nearly leapt out of his skin when he felt a hand slide under his shirt.

"B-but we-mph!" Yao got cut off as Ivan kissed him.

Yao whimpers a small protest before succumbing to the larger man's will.

"Come Yao." Ivan said, nuzzling Yao's neck, "Let's play 'doctor'."

Yao rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around Ivan, "That was a lame joke aru."

Ivan giggled and hoisted Yao up into his arms. Yao grumbled a little about 'being treated like a woman', but didn't protest other than that.

Yao let out a small sigh as Ivan gently placed him on the bed. Yao watched Ivan as he stepped back and ran his eyes over Yao's form. Yao blushed.

"Are you going to stare at me the whole time or do something aru?" Yao said, shifting under the intense gaze.

Snapping out of his trance, Ivan leapt onto the bed, placing his knees on either side of Yao's hips.

"So how does Yao-Yao like it? Rough? Gentle? BDSM?" Ivan giggled.

Yao blushed and looked away, "L-let's start with gentle aru."

"As you wish." Ivan giggled.

Ivan lowered his lips to Yao's neck, kissing the pale skin he found there. Yao whimpered, squirming under the sensation.

"Ah. Ivan aru." he moaned.

Yao yelped as a sharp pain blossomed in his neck, "Ah! What the hell was that aru!?"

"A bite." Ivan giggled. He licked the now inflamed area, soothing it.

Yao moaned, "I thought we were being gentle aru?"

Ivan giggled, "This is gentle."

Yao shivered. If biting was 'gentle', he didn't think he wanted to know what Ivan's definition of 'rough' was.

Ivan continued to nibble, lick, suck, and kiss Yao's neck. Yao groaned. This felt so much better than a drunken fling.

Ivan slowly undid the clasps on Yao's traditional red silk changshan (a gift from Ivan), rubbing his hands over each inch of newly exposed skin. When Ivan brushed a thumb over a pert nipple, Yao moaned.

"You like that?" Ivan whispered huskily into his ear.

He brought his other hand up to give the same treatment to the opposite nipple. Yao whimpered. He blushed when he felt himself start to become hard.

"Ah." he moaned.

"Goodness Yao-yao. So sensitive. Are you a virgin?" Ivan asked.

Yao pouted, "No aru."

"Oh?" Ivan titled his head, giving the pert buds a squeeze, "Are you sure?"

Yao whimpered, "Y-yes aru!"

Ivan pouted, "Hm, too bad. I would have liked to be you're first."

Ivan then pulled the shirt the rest of the way off. It got tangled in Yao's ponytail holder for a moment, then slid off of him like water.

Ivan frowned, "We should get rid of this, da? It might become a bother." he said, tugging the red ribbon out of Yao's hair.

Yao shivered as his hair fanned out and brushed against his bare shoulders, "Be careful with that ribbon aru. It was a gift from Kiku."

Ivan smiled and carefully placed the small strip of fabric on the bedside table, "Then Yao must cherish it, da?"

Yao smiled back and nodded, "Yes, it's very precious aru."

Ivan smiled again and leaned down to replace his fingers with his mouth.

"O~h!" Yao moaned, squirming as Ivan ran his tongue and teeth over the sensitive bud.

Ivan grinned, "I like that sound. Let's see if I can get Yao to make it again."

Yao continued to whimper and moan as Ivan made his way downward, licking and sucking a trail down to the waistband of Yao's pants. Yao was suddenly given a light chill as his pants seem to disappear.

Yao yelped, leaping up to attempt to cover himself, "Ivan!"

"Da?" Ivan said sweetly, his childish side getting the better of him.

"What happened to my pants aru!?" Yao cried, pulling his legs up.

Ivan grabbed the pale thighs and laid them down flat, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Yao glared, "What did you do with them aru?"

Ivan pouted, "But Yao-Yao, they were in my way. If something stands between you and what you want, you remove it, da?"

Yao squirmed, "I suppose aru." he said lowly.

Ivan smiled, "I knew Yao-Yao would see it my way!" he cheered.

Yao rolled his eyes. Then he realized exactly where Ivan's head was, only a few seconds too late.

"Iv-Ah~n!" he cried as that sinfully hot, wet mouth closed around him.

Ivan smirked around Yao's rapidly hardening member. When he pulled away and licked the tip of the quivering organ. Yao whimpered, trying to thrust up into that teasing mouth, but Ivan held him down easily.

"Please Ivan aru." Yao panted, his entire body begging for the sweet pleasure.

Ivan smiled and finally wrapped his mouth around Yao's swollen member once more. Yao whimpered, squirming as Ivan opened his throat and took in all of him.

"I-I'm g-gonna . . ." Yao gasped.

"Ah ah a~h!" Ivan sang, pulling away and tightening his hold around the base, "Not just yet Yao. Wait for it."

Yao whined (he didn't want to wait dammit!), wishing Ivan would let him finish, "Please . . . _Vanya_."

Ivan shivered. Pulling back, Ivan quickly discarded himself of his clothing. Gently laying down on top of his smaller lover, both Yao and Ivan moaned at the skin-on-skin feeling. Yao blushed as he felt _all_ of Ivan pressing against him.

"Yao." Ivan sighed, wrapping his arms around the older Chinese man.

"Ivan." Yao breathed, looping his arms around the strong shoulders.

A shudder went through the tall Russian. Reaching over to rummage around in the drawer, Ivan pulled out a small bottle of lube. Vanilla scented. Pouring some onto his fingers, Ivan placed his index at Yao's entrance.

"This will feel a little strange." Ivan warned. He slowly pressed his finger in.

Yao tensed for a moment, then relaxed, trying to get used to the feeling. Arthur hadn't prepped him when they had slept together, so this was different (they hadn't need to with all of the alcohol in their systems). Yao whined as a second finger joined the first, stretching him. Yao felt a hand on his throbbing dick, trying to distract him from the interesting things Ivan's fingers were doing. A third entered him. Yao whined; that hurt a little.

"Please Ivan." he whimpered, "I need you in me aru. Now."

Ivan furrowed his eyebrows, "But Yao-Yao, I could hurt you." Ivan insisted.

Yao thrashed his head from side to side, "Ivan please!" he cried, "I need it aru. Please."

Ivan hesitated for another moment before removing his fingers. Yao breathed a sigh of relief. Ivan slicked up his own, unattended member and aligned his hips with Yao's.

"Are you sure?" he asked, "This is your last chance to back out."

Yao could only nod at this point. Ivan ran a hand through his silky black hair and slowly started to enter Yao. Yao whimpered as he felt Ivan stretching him to the breaking point. Ivan stopped halfway in.

"No." Yao whined, "I want all of you."

Ivan smirked, "As you wish." he said, then he slammed the rest of the way in.

Yao screamed, arching his back at the burning sensation of have Ivan fully inside him. Ivan held himself perfectly still, presumably to let Yao adjust to his size.

"I-van." Yao panted, "P-please m-mov-ve ar-ru."

Ivan groaned and pulled himself out of Yao's tight heat, then slammed back in, causing the whole bed to creak. Yao cried out, begging for more, and Ivan was all to happy to oblige.

Grabbing Yao's pale thighs, Ivan lifted them over his shoulder's, driving deeper into Yao's heat.

"Harder!" Yao cried, gripping Ivan's thick biceps as he's pounded into the mattress.

Ivan smirked and leaned forward, changing the angle of his thrusts. Yao suddenly saw white as Ivan brushed something wonderful inside of him.

"I-I'm gonna come aru!" Yao screamed.

Ivan leaned forward, bending Yao in half and whispered into a delicate ear, "Then come." he breathed huskily, licking the pale ear.

Yao arched his back and did just that, spilling his white cream all over Ivan's and his own chest. Ivan thrusted once more and filled Yao will his own seed.

They came down from their highs slowly, reentering the world of reality satisfied and tired. Yao sighed as Ivan gently settled his weight over him. Yao reached up and pulled his lover into an embrace.

"I love you aru." Yao said in Chinese. Ivan sat up and smiled.

"I love you too." he said in slightly accented Chinese. Yao blushed.

"That's not fair aru! You weren't supposed to know what I said aru!" he cried, thrashing his limbs out.

Ivan laughed, grabbing hold of Yao's wrist, "A doctor must learn other languages if he want's to be successful, da? Chinese was the first language I learned."

Yao blushed and pouted, "You could have told me aru." he mumbled.

Ivan smirked, "Yao-Yao should not make such a cute face." he said, swiping a finger through the sticky cream on Yao chest, "I might not be able to contain myself if he does." he brought the finger to his lips and licked Yao's seed from it, all the while not tearing his heated gaze from Yao's.

Yao only managed to shiver as Ivan descended on him again.

The next morning, Yao woke up exhausted and sore. Apparently things _were_ always bigger in Russia. Yao groaned and tried to roll over, but found himself crushed into a large chest. Yao opened his eyes to find Ivan still sleeping, arms wrapped protectively around him.

Yao smiled, _"I am the luckiest person in the whole world."_ he thought as he snuggled into Ivan comforting warmth and fell asleep again.

**Author Commentary:** This took me three fucking days. Wow, I'm amazed with myself. I can't believe I managed to do this. Next up, either Kiku's story or Ivan's story, you pick.

And yes, 10% of all anorexia cases are male, just so you know.


	2. Fault

**Author Commentary:** Well, here I am again! Now with Kiku's story! Hopefully I don't screw this up too badly.

**Character:** Kiku

**Rating:** M

**Warnings:** Yaoi, Angst, Dark themes, Some sexual relations/references

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

Kiku hadn't always had a hard life. When he was small, he had a mother and father who loved him very much. Or so he believed, he couldn't really remember them. Still, he decided to give them the benefit of a doubt. At the orphanage, he'd been told that they had died, leaving him with no family. He didn't mind that. If they had died, there was nothing he could have done to change anything, so it wasn't his fault. He'd also heard that they had died in an accident, so it wasn't their fault that Kiku was in an orphanage either. Anyway, though his life had probably started out alright, his life from then onward wasn't the best by average standards. But it was okay, Kiku could make the best of it.

"Happy birthday Kiku." Yamamatsu said, holding out a small homemade mini-cake.

"Th-thank you Grandmother." Kiku said, bowing.

Yamamatsu laughed, "Always so polite, aren't you?"

Kiku blushed, but smiled. A sudden crash from inside the house brought the two to the small living room. Kiku's adoptive little brother Hong Kong was crying amidst the remains of a shattered vase.

"Oh goodness." Yamamatsu said, picking up Hong Kong and examining him, "Well, at least you're not hurt." she turned to Kiku and handed Hong Kong to him, "Here, you go calm him down while I clean this up."

Kiku nodded, taking the little boy out into the kitchen/dining room.

"It's alright little Hong Kong. You're not hurt." Kiku said, trying to sooth the child.

It took a few minutes, but eventually Hong Kong calmed down.

"I'm sowwy bwuswer. I din't mean it." he hiccuped.

Kiku patted his head, "It's okay, It's not your fault." Kiku reached over and pulled a little piece of his cake off, "Here, it'll make you feel better."

Hong Kong ate the small bite of cake, "Thank you." he said.

Kiku smiled, sending Hong Kong on his way. He looked back at the small cake. It really wasn't fair that only he and Hong Kong had some. He took it off the counter and went to find his other siblings.

"Yong-soo, Hyong-soo, do you want a bite of my birthday cake?" he asked as he came upon his brothers colouring in their shared bedroom.

"Sure!" Yong-soo said. He took two small bits out of the cake and gave one to Hyong-soo, "Thanks Kiku."

Kiku smiled, "Your welcome."

Kiku eventually found all of his family and gave them a piece of cake. Kiku felt a little proud of himself for being so thoughtful for his family. He made sure to save a small piece for Yao when he came home. He also tried to offer Yamamatsu some, but she refused, saying that old people like her didn't like sweets. When Kiku heard the door open and his brothers tired 'I'm home', he ran to the door, taking the piece of cake with him.

"Onii-san!" he called, "Onii-san, have a piece of my birthday cake."

Yao smiled down at him, "That's alright Kiku aru. You have it."

Kiku shook his head, "I saved it just for Onii-san, so he should have it."

Yao looked surprised, then he smiled again. He accepted the bit of cake and popped it into his mouth. It wasn't even a mouthful, but Yao smiled and said, "Delicious. Thank you very much Kiku aru."

Kiku smiled and hugged Yao around the middle, "Your welcome Onii-san."

Yao hugged him back, "Happy birthday Kiku aru."

The next day, Yamamatsu died.

Kiku was playing with his littlest sister Taiwan when he noticed that Yamamatsu hadn't started dinner yet, even though it was seven o'clock. Leaving Taiwan in Thailand's care, he walked over to the old lady's bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Grandmother." he called. Hearing no answer, he knocked louder and called again, "Grandmother."

Deciding that Yamamatsu had a perfectly good reason to not be cooking, Kiku goes back to playing with his siblings. At eight o'clock, he knocks on the door again, and received the same answer. At ten o'clock, he finally goes inside to find out why Yamamatsu wasn't answering.

"Grandmother." he called, seeing her slumped over the dresser, "Grandmother, are you sleeping?"

He laid a tiny hand on her arm, "Grandmother! You're so cold." he cried. Yamamatsu didn't stir, even when Kiku gently shook her.

"Hey, what's wrong with Grandmother?" Yong-soo asked, coming into the room, Hyong-soo at his side, holding his hand.

"She won't wake up." Kiku said.

Eventually, all of the family was in the room, trying futilely to wake up the 'sleeping' woman. They heard the door open and rushed to their brother. Kiku wrapped his arms around Yao's middle, followed by the rest of his siblings (minus Taiwan, she was still too little). The force of the action sent them to the floor.

"Aiya!" Yao cried as they fell, "What's wrong aru? What's all this?"

Kiku looked up at his brother, "Grandmother won't wake up."

After Yao had gone to check on the old lady, they were all carted as far away as possible from Yamamatsu's room and told to stay their while Yao did some important things. Kiku personally took it upon himself to make sure everyone was behaving.

When Yao came back, he looked very sad, "Everyone, I have some really bad news aru."

They all crawled into Yao's lap (or got as close as possible), "What's wrong with Grandmother?" Thailand asked.

"Grandmother . . . can't be with us anymore aru." Yao said.

Vietnam tilted her head to the side, "Why?"

Yao smiled, "You'll understand when you're bigger aru. Just know that's she's in a good place from now on aru."

Kiku was really confused, "But if it's such a good place, then why didn't she take us with her?"

Yao looked even more saddened, "I promise that you'll understand everything when you're bigger aru." he said, pulling them in for a group hug.

A few weeks later, Kiku and his family moved across the city. Kiku was worried that what happened to Yamamatsu was his fault, and even almost asked Yao at one point while they packed their bags, but couldn't voice his thoughts and told Yao that it was nothing.

That year, Kiku and Yong-soo and Hyong-soo started school. Kiku found it interesting, all of the things they learned in school. He liked learning so much that he learned everything in the books before everyone else. All of the teachers thought Kiku was so smart and bumped him up a grade. Kiku felt very proud of himself for being so smart, even though he didn't really get why it was such an accomplishment. Hyong-soo seemed to think it wasn't all that special; he seemed to think that it was a bad thing, and started to avoid Kiku. Then one night, he heard a conversation between Hyong-soo and Yao.

"That's enough aru! It's no ones fault that Kiku is smarter aru. Not yours or Kiku's or anyones! So you just be nice and stop acting like this aru." Yao said.

"But I can do better! I can do better than this!" Hyong-soo answered.

Kiku left them at that, it was rude to intrude on other's conversations. Yao was right, it wasn't Kiku's fault that he was smart and Hyong-soo wasn't. Kiku was just smarter and that was that.

It wasn't Kiku's fault, right?

As Kiku progressed through school, teachers continued to pay special attention to him. Some of the other kids didn't like him because of it, and bullied him. But Kiku only said to himself 'it's not my fault, I didn't do anything wrong' and went on with his day. Still, he couldn't help but wonder why they did the things they did, and his thoughts of 'I didn't anything wrong' led to 'why are they doing this to me if I didn't do anything wrong?' which eventually led to 'I must have done something wrong' and 'it's my fault'. After a while, Kiku started to lock himself away in the bathroom to contemplate these things. He didn't get why people hated him for things he never did. What did he do wrong? What could he do to make it right? Did he need to do better? But he was already doing as best he could. Maybe it was his looks. They laughed at some kids for looking different, maybe they did the things they did because he didn't look good enough. Was that it? That must be it, there was no other explanation. But how did he need to change? They laughed at the fat kids, maybe he needed to loose weight.

"Kiku!" Yao called through the bathroom door, "Come out of there aru!" he sounded worried.

"Tell us what's wrong Nii-chan!" Taiwan cried. She had grown so attached to Kiku, preferring him over Yao. Kiku could hear her tiny fists against the wood.

"Nothing's wrong." Kiku said quietly, "I just want some privacy."

Shortly afterward, Yao moved them into a bigger apartment. Kiku walked around the empty place that would become their home. He walked down the hallway with all of the rooms. He opened one door and was greeted with the second smallest bedroom in the house. Yao's, probably all to himself, if he could manage it. He opened another door, finding a room with a window that had a view of the cherry trees out side. Taiwan's and Vietnam's, girls went crazy over pretty things. Another door, this one opening up to the biggest bedroom. It would probably go to Kiku and his brothers. Kiku opened the last door and found the smallest room in the house. It was completely square, three meters by three meters, with a window on the far side of the room, opposite the door. There was a dresser in one corner of the room, with a bunch of different compartments for different things. Kiku decided he wanted this room, and since it was so small, he could have it all to himself.

After negotiating with Yao for a while, Kiku got his wish. He moved a futon, some sheets, his clothing, and his possessions into the room, unpacking immediately, since there wasn't much to unpack. He put his clothes away in the dresser, organizing them according to type. Then he put his other possessions away, which included his alarm clock, a framed picture of his family, and miscellaneous other items. Lastly he unfolded his futon and spread the sheets over it. Closing the door, Kiku was completely alone. He could think as long as he wanted without disturbing his family or having anyone interrupt him. It was perfect. Kiku did his thinking and was happier with that.

Then came high school.

Kiku was now sixteen and in his first year of high school. On his first day, he met a strange boy around his age.

"Hi there!" he said loudly, "My name's Alfred F. Jones. What's yours?"

He was tall, and very well muscled. He had wild blond hair with one little bit sticking up at the front. His blue eyes were partially hidden behind glasses. And he sounded very American.

"Hello." Kiku said, bowing lightly, "My name is Honda Kiku."

Alfred looked at him strangely, "Your name is Honda? Who would name their kid Honda?"

There was a quiet sigh from somewhere behind the American, "He's Japanese Al. They put their last names first in that culture."

Alfred looked over his shoulder. Kiku was very surprised to see another young blond who looked remarkably like Alfred.

"Oh yeah, so that means your name is Kiku then, right?" Alfred said, turning back to aforementioned Asian.

"Yes." Kiku said. He then turned to the other blond, "Hello. I didn't catch you're name."

The blond smiled, "I'm Matthew Williams, Alfred's twin brother."

Kiku smiled at him "It's very nice to meet both of you."

Alfred surprised him by putting an arm around his shoulder, "Thanks! Nice to meet you to!" he said (goodness he was loud), "Hey, how come you haven't asked about our names?"

Kiku looked up, "Your names?"

Alfred nodded, "Yeah, how come you haven't asked why our last names are different?"

Kiku thought about it for a minute, "My family all has different last names, but we're all adopted."

Alfred nodded, "Well, our names are different because we wee split up when we were babies." Alfred explained, "But we met up later in life. Isn't that great?"

Kiku nodded, trying to get out of the taller boy's grip. Alfred finally let go and latched onto his brother instead, "Isn't it a wonderful story?! Two brothers separated at birth reunited as young boys! It's so dramatic!"

"Get off me, oaf." Matthew said, pushing his brother away, "It's not really all that dramatic."

Kiku smiled at the two. They seemed close, just like Hyong-soo and Yong-soo were. Apparently all twins were close. However, now that Kiku looked closer, he could see the differences in the two. Where Alfred was loud and boisterous, Matthew was quiet and reserved. Matthew' hair was longer and curlier, and he looked thinner than his brother. Kiku figured he'd get along well with Matthew.

Wherever Matthew was, Alfred seemed to be right there as well. If Kiku tried to have a conversation with Matthew, Alfred was there to butt in. At first it seemed as though Matthew was following Alfred around, and with his quiet and shy personality, it suited him. If you looked into it deeper though, it was the other way around. Alfred followed Matthew like an overprotective puppy, and often dragged him everywhere, ignoring protests. Matthew mostly tolerated it, but there were times when Kiku saw the Canadian loose his cool.

"Fine! I don't need your help anyway!" Alfred said, turning away from his brother.

"Why the hell do you need my help anyway!? Why can't you do shit on your own?!" Matthew shouted back, startling everyone at the table, including Kiku.

"Whatever, you're just a boring stick in the mud." Alfred said, probably intending to go on, but Matthew stopped him.

"You're ideas are just way to impractical, you big brainless kid! You're demanding and always angry. You're too forceful with everything, and I can't stand how fast you get into fist fights! And stop with the 'holier than thou' attitude. You always eat hamburgers, and buy strange things off the internet, and then try to sell them to me! Do you think I'm stupid or something?!"

The usually shy boy went on, listing every one of Alfred's many flaws, and eventually caused Alfred to break down into tears. Everyone applauded Matthew later, finding a new respect for him.

Kiku continued to grow close to the two brothers, particularly Alfred, much to his surprise. Something about the noisy American drew Kiku to him. Eventually, Kiku realized he had feelings for Alfred. Upon this realization, Kiku started to think of different things. Was he gay, or bi? Did he love Alfred, or was this just a small crush? Should he act on these feelings? Did Alfred even like him back? Was Alfred gay or bi? If he was, would he accept Kiku's feelings? Kiku devoted much of his time to thinking about these things, going around and around in endless circles, trying to find the answer. He didn't even realize when he started pulling away from his family. What he did notice is how Yao was starting annoy him. It seemed he was always butting into Kiku's business. Kiku wasn't sure why this annoyed him. Yao had always liked to keep up with what was happening to his little brothers and sisters. Kiku was just really annoyed as of late, for no apparent reason.

"So, how was school aru?" Yao asked one day when Kiku got home.

"Fine." Kiku said, turning down some fried noodles offered to him by Hong Kong.

"Did anything happen aru?" Yao asked.

"No." Kiku replied, hanging up his jacket.

Yao smiled, "Did you meet anyone special aru?" he said teasingly.

Kiku growled under his breath, "No I didn't." he said, then went into his room and closed the door, blocking out everything with music.

Just as they finished their last year of school, Kiku second in the graduating class, right under someone named Eduard Von something or other, Kiku decided to confess to Alfred.

"Alfred-san." he called, "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure, just gimmie a sec." Alfred said, saying something to Matthew (who finished third in class), "So what did you want?"

Kiku looked around at their surroundings, "Let's find a more secluded place." he said, pulling Alfred away from the crowd and into a deserted hallway.

"So what's up?" Alfred said, smiling down at Kiku.

Kiku blushed a little, "Well um . . . I have something to tell you, but . . . it's a little embarrassing."

Alfred laid a comforting hand on Kiku's shoulder, "Hey take your time, no worries."

Kiku took a deep breath, "I like you. More than a friend." he said, carefully pronouncing the words.

Alfred looked startled, but didn't move his hand away, "Oh . . . uh, thank you?"

Kiku nodded, "I'm sorry."

Alfred smiled, "Hey, don't be sorry, it's not like it's your fault or anything, right?"

Kiku smiled back, "Your right. Thank you."

Alfred smiled, "Hey, at least I'm cool with it you know. Not totally rejecting you or anything, but . . . sorry Kiku."

Kiku nodded trying to keep tears out of his eyes, "Yes, I understand."

Alfred looked a little pained, "Please don't cry. I'll feel so bad if you cry."

Kiku laughed, even as a single tear ran down his cheek. Alfred brought a hand up and wiped it away with his thumb.

"Hey, why don't I give you a kiss, just for you?" Alfred said, smiling.

Kiku looked up, "Oh, you don't have to do that Alfred-san."

"It the least I could do, rejecting you and all. It's just a kiss." he said.

Kiku smiled, "Alright."

Alfred smiled again and leaned down to capture Kiku's lips. It was sweet and chaste, lingering for only a moment. Then Alfred pulled away, a light blush on his face.

"So I'll see you around?" he asked.

"Maybe." Kiku said, smiling.

Alfred smiled back, "Sure. Later." he said, walking off.

Kiku watched the wide back and strong shoulders recede down the hallway. He smiled, even as he began to cry. That night he stayed up all night thinking. Would he ever get over the heartbreak? Alfred had kissed him, did that mean he was gay/bi and just didn't like him like that? If so, could he have done something to get Alfred to like him? And if that was true, was it his fault that Alfred didn't like him? Would he be able to get Alfred to like him in the future if he worked at it? Kiku had no idea.

Kiku pondered these things for the first two weeks after his graduation. Alfred was away on a vacation and couldn't stay in touch with him. Kiku figured he could relax for a while before he started to move on or work at getting Alfred into his arms (he hadn't decided), but Yao had this crazy idea to start getting into his business all of the time. It was driving Kiku up the wall.

And then he snapped.

"Stop smothering me!" Kiku shouted at Yao. What was his problem?

"I'll stop if you tell me what's wrong with you lately aru!" Yao cried.

"Nothing's wrong! Stop asking!" Kiku shouted.

"Stop it aru! Stop denying it! You're obviously troubled by something aru! If you don't tell us, we can't help you aru!" Yao said. As if he cared, all he did was work.

Finally cracking under the pressure, Kiku picked up his rice bowl and lobbed it at Yao, "Just shut up!" he yelled.

He watched the hard ceramic bounce off of his elder brother's shoulder, knocking him back a little. Yao looked at him with shock and a bit of pain.

"Ki . . . Kiku?" he said softly.

Kiku momentarily felt really bad. Yao hadn't really done anything bad, he was just looking out for him. Kiku shook it off and ran to his room, ignoring Taiwan's plea to stop. He slammed the door and turned on his music as high as it would go. He then started to pack all of his things into his backpack and duffle bag (excluding his laptop, which would go into it's own case). The music drown out any sounds of shuffling that his shifting things around.

That night, when he was sure that everyone was asleep, he left, quietly sneaking out of the apartment. He ran into the city until he had no idea where he was.

"_So now what?"_ he thought, stepping onto the street to cross the road, _"I can't go home, and I don't have any friends that would take me in without alerting Yao."_

As he reached the middle of the road, he nearly leapt back when a van almost hit him. It stopped just in the nick of time, the driver stepping out and apologizing to him in rapid speech and hand gestures.

"Ve~! I'm so sorry!" he cried, "I didn't mean to almost hit you. Please don't be mad."

Another person stepped out of the car, this one much taller and more muscular than both of them, "Feliciano! What did I tell you about driving safely!?"

Now the smaller male (apparently 'Feliciano') was apologizing to both of them. Kiku only politely told the frantic man (though he was probably around the same age as himself) that he was fine and he wasn't hurt and he wasn't mad.

"Ve~, there must be something I can do to make it up to you." Feliciano said.

Kiku thought about it for a moment, "Um, do you mind giving me a place to stay for the night? I have no place to go."

Feliciano smiled and nodded, "Me and Ludwig sleep in the back of the van, but there's enough room for another person."

"Feliciano." the taller man (Ludwig), said, "We don't even know him. He could be dangerous."

Kiku didn't see how the much bigger Ludwig could be wary of his much tinier self, "I'm not dangerous at all." he said.

Ludwig gave him a long look, but Feliciano whined and clung to his arm, trying to convince him to let Kiku stay. Ludwig eventually caved.

"All right, you can stay." he said, his German accent thick, "But I don't want any funny business."

Kiku nodded, picking up his duffle bag and computer case once more. As he was climbing into the car Feliciano explained to him that him and Ludwig were on a cross country road trip, for no reason other than to explore the world. They were even going to go to Europe in a few days, which was where they were from.

"We only came to the US because everyone says it's such a good place to visit." Feliciano explained.

Kiku nodded, "I'm actually from Japan, but I've lived in the US because of my family. I'd like to go back there."

Feliciano bounced in his seat, "Ludwig, Ludwig, we should go to Japan as well!"

Ludwig sighed, "I'll think about it."

In the end Kiku ended up joining them on their trip. He helped pay for whatever he could, using some money that he had saved up. He also learned a bit about his new traveling companions. Feliciano was born and raised in Italy, and had spent most of his life there with his twin brother and grandfather. Ludwig was born in Germany, particularly East Germany in the city of Berlin, before the wall fell. He was only a few months old when it fell, so he didn't remember much about it. His older brother, who had been six, remembered it just fine though. After the cold war ended, he had moved around to Italy, to France, and back to Germany. The two had met a year ago and decided to take a better look at the world. Kiku, in turn, told them how he had been born in Japan, but after his parents had died, he'd been moved to the USA along with his 'siblings', who were dubbed 'better off in the great America than in the Asian countries'. Kiku remembered little of what Japan was like, but still wanted to move there when he got the money. The three got along well, surprisingly. Though their personalities were all completely different, they complimented each other. Ludwig was the serious and logical one in the group, Feliciano was the fun and cheerful one in the group, and Kiku was the calm and collected one.

When the group finally landed in Madrid, Spain, Feliciano was ecstatic.

"Ve~, Lovino is in Spain right now, we should go see him!" he said, bounce around while clinging to Ludwig's arm.

"That would be nice." Kiku said, he'd heard a lot about Lovino Vargas, and was interested in meeting him.

Ludwig wasn't so keen, "We shouldn't really bother him. Isn't he trying to make his career?"

Feliciano laughed, "Si! He's not sure what he wants to do, but he's trying!"

They eventually agreed to go see Feliciano's brother before moving on. When they arrived at his doorstep, he was less than pleased.

"What the hell Feli?!" he shouted, "Don't just drop in without calling! Especially if you're going to bring that potato bastard!"

"Ve~! But I missed you fratello!" Feliciano cried, tears forming in his eyes.

Lovino eventually agreed to let them stay the night, provided that they cook in the morning.

"So how's you're career search going?" Feliciano asked his irritable brother.

"F-fine. Why?" Lovino said, looking away, obviously hiding something.

"I've figured out what I want to do!" Feliciano cried, "I'm going to be a painter!"

"Don't friggin yell!" Lovino yelled, "There are other people in this building."

While they stayed, Kiku learned that Lovino had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. He had all of the same talents as his brother, but he just wasn't as good at them as Feliciano was. Kiku could see how this would lead to an inferiority complex. Lovino was constantly trying to find something he was better at than Feliciano. That morning, Kiku thought he might have found it.

It was early, Ludwig and Feliciano were still sleeping. Kiku was getting dressed when he heard soft singing coming from the balcony. He followed his ears to find Lovino singing the tenor line to 'Ave Maria'. And it was beautiful. Lovino's voice rose and fell perfectly, hitting each note clearly, with no waver. Kiku waited until he was done before clapping.

"What the hell!" Lovino cried, wiping around to face Kiku, "What are you doing?!"

"You have a beautiful voice." Kiku said, unfazed by the shouting.

Lovino blushed, "I-I . . . Tch, whatever."

Kiku smiled, "You do, much better than Feliciano-tan's."

Lovino turned to him, eyes wide, "R-really?" he said, wanting to believe it, but not trusting Kiku completely.

Kiku smiled again, "I always found Feliciano's voice to be a little pitchy."

Lovino blushed a little darker. He brushed past Kiku and shut himself up in his room (which had Feliciano in it, because brothers slept together in the same bed all of the time, right?). Kiku smiled and started to cook breakfast. Maybe that would help Lovino and his career search.

The next day, the three of them were eastward bound, traveling through France and into Germany, where they planned to stop and visit Ludwig's brother (maybe, they weren't sure if he was still in Germany). Throughout the whole trip, Kiku had a lot of time to think.

Should he really have left like that? Was Yao angry with him? He probably was, considering the thrown rice bowl. It wasn't Yao's fault he had been angry that day. It was his own fault. It was always his fault.

_Always. His. Fault._

That thought was enough to make Kiku lose his appetite.

Kiku wasn't sure when he started to refuse to eat. _It wasn't like he deserved it_ He didn't want to eat. _He'd done done terrible things_ He wasn't hungry. _He was ugly on the inside_ He needed to watch his weight anyway. _He needed to make the outside look better to cover the inside_ He wasn't hungry. Kiku began limiting himself to small amounts of foods that he didn't like, choosing to diet and restrict himself _Maybe if he got small enough he could disappear_.

The three of them were making their way through Russia when Ludwig started to notice a change in Kiku.

"Kiku." he said, "You're looking a little thin. Maybe you should change you're diet."

Kiku shook his head, "No, I'm fine. This is just a stage of the diets function." he assured him.

Eventually, even Feliciano noticed.

"Kiku, have some pasta. You're so skinny." he asked, pushing a full plate of spaghetti toward Kiku.

Kiku turned away, looking out at the streets of Athens, "I'm not feeling well." _I'm so hungry_.

Kiku continued to loose weight, but it became harder and harder to conceal it from his friends. It also became more difficult for Kiku to function properly. As they made their way through China, Kiku started sleeping much more than he used to. By the time they reached Japan, Kiku didn't have the energy to be excited.

"Come on, this is you're dream Kiku. Why aren't you happy?" Feliciano asked.

Kiku sighed, "I am, I'm just really tired." he said, leaning back on the bed and rolling over to go to sleep.

They left Japan behind, arriving in Canada with Kiku not seeing more than the inside of the hotel room. For some reason, Kiku can't find the energy to care. He's just so tired _and hungry_ that he couldn't bring himself to be upset that he'd really missed out. Finally, Kiku's body gave in.

"Ki . . . ku! Kiku wa . . . up!" that sounded like Ludwig, but he sounded so far away. What?

Kiku forced his eyes open, "Ludwig-san?" he said, "What happened?"

"You fainted." Ludwig said, "Maybe you should go see a doctor."

Kiku shook his head, "I feel fine."

Feliciano cried, "You're not fine! You're sick!"

Ludwig picked up Kiku's prone form, "We're taking you to a doctor. Now."

Kiku thrashed in his grip, "I don't need a doctor!" he cried.

Eventually, Ludwig had to make a phone call. Kiku only listened for a moment, but then he realized who Ludwig was talking to.

Snatching the phone from the tall blonde, Kiku hesitantly spoke into the phone, "Onii-san?" he said, starting to cry _I don't deserve to call him that_, "Onii-san is that you?"

"Yes, it's me Kiku aru." Yao said, his voice greedily sucked up by Kiku's ears. He missed him so much.

"I'm so sorry Onii-san. I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me." he said, starting to sob.

"It's okay aru. No one hates you aru." Yao comforted.

Kiku finally broke down, bursting into tears. Feliciano wrapped his arms around Kiku while Ludwig finished his conversation with Yao. Three days later, Kiku was awoken by a worried German, telling him they were home.

"Ludwig-san?" he said sleepily, "Is Onii-san there?"

Kiku felt a light brush against his forehead, "I'm right here sweetie aru. I'll take care of you now aru."

Kiku opened his eyes to see that face that had haunted him for the last year, "Onii-san, I'm so sorry." he said, starting to cry again.

Yao pulled him into his arms, those comforting, safe arms, "It's okay. Shh, it's okay aru. I forgive you aru." he soothed.

The next thing Kiku knows, he's sitting at the table in his old _life_ home. Even when he's awake, he can't even focus on reality.

"I'll make you something to eat aru." Yao said, standing to go to the kitchen.

Kiku shook his head, automatically saying, "I'm not hungry."

"Kiku, you need to eat." he hears Feliciano say.

"I'm not hungry though." Kiku insisted.

Yao looked at him worriedly, "Are you sure aru?"

Kiku tried to smile, "Yes, I'm not hungry." _I want to eat, I'm so starving_.

Yao looked worried _I don't deserve it_, "Well, maybe you should go lie down for a while aru. You look tired aru."

_No, I want something to eat_ Kiku nodded, trying to stand up. His traitorous body refused to listen and he flopped back down. Yao helped him stand and led him down the hallway. He opened the door to his old room and brought him inside.

It was exactly as he left it. It was even cleaned and smelled fresh. Like they had expected him to come home at any moment, waiting with open arms.

"_They still love me."_ Kiku thought, the sudden realization causing him to break down again, _"They never hated me. They love me."_

Maybe it's an hour later, or maybe it's only a few minutes (Kiku doesn't know how long he sleeps for anymore, he alway feels like he hasn't slept enough), that Yao came into his room.

"Kiku. Are you awake aru?" Yao asked.

"Yeah?" _I want to eat_ Kiku replied, looking up at his big brother.

Yao smiled at him, "How are you feeling aru?"

_Hungry_, "Tired." he said.

The sounds of an alive house suddenly filled the air. Something was yelled in their direction. Yao shouted back that he was in Kiku's room.

"In Kiku's old room? Why would you be in th- !" Thailand said, coming into the room. Upon seeing Kiku on the bed he stopped.

Then all at once, the family squeezed themselves into the room, "Kiku!" they cried. They circled his futon, Taiwan lying next to him and hugging him around the neck.

"Nii-san!" she cried, "You're home!"

Kiku patted her back, "Hello Taiwan."

Thailand looked worried, "Hey, you're not looking so good. Are you okay?"

"Yeah Kiku, you're looking really skinny." Vietnam said.

Taiwan looked up at him, "Nii-san, are you sick?" she asked.

"Yeah, you're like a skeleton." Hyong-soo and Yong-soo say at the same time. There's an uncomfortable pause, then they avoid each other's gaze.

_I feel like a skeleton_, "I'm fine. Nothing to worry about." Kiku said.

Yao shook his head, looking more worried by the second, "No Kiku, you're sick aru."

Kiku shook his head, "I'll be fine." _I feel terrible_.

Yao looked like he was about to cry, "Come on everyone aru. Kiku needs to rest aru."

They all left the room and left Kiku to sleep. Kiku tried to rest, but, for some reason, his eyes refused to close. His mind was once again filled with thought. His family didn't hate him. They still loved him. That made him the bad guy. He felt terrible. He'd done such horrible things. _He was so hungry_ It was his fault. He was at fault again.

At midnight, Kiku gathered all his strength and pulled himself out of bed. He couldn't sleep, he felt gross. He decided to take a nice hot bath. Kiku, very slowly, made his way to the bathroom. He closed the door behind him, forgetting to lock it, and walked over to the bathtub. Kiku turned on the water and filled the tub. He gently pulled his clothes off, careful not to break his skin, which had become so thin and frail that he could almost peel it off of his body. Once he was naked, a wave of dizziness overcame him. As he crashed to the floor, he heard Taiwan scream in the distance.

When he came to, he was surrounded by his family. He could hear them talking worriedly over him. As he became more aware of his surroundings, h noticed that he was lying on his back on a really uncomfortable and stiff bed.

"Onii-san?" he croaked out.

Yao was suddenly right beside him, looking worried/relieved, "Kiku! How are you feeling aru?"

_Like shit_, "What happened?" he asked.

Vietnam leaned over and pressed the button on the side of Kiku's bed, "I'll call the doctor." she said.

When the doctor walked in, the first thing his eyes came to rest on was Yao. It was only for a moment, but it happened. Kiku couldn't focus his mind to figure out why this was important, but knew it was somehow important. He took a better look at the doctor, to distract him from his thoughts. He was tall, very tall, even taller than Ludwig. He looked a little heavyset, but maybe that was his clothing. He had violet eyes and silvery-snowy-white hair. Unusual, probably fake, but then again, it looked very natural on him, so maybe not.

"So what's wrong with Kiku?" Hong Kong asked.

The tall doctor took a moment to answer, and Kiku could feel the tension rising, "Mr. Honda has Anorexia Nervosa." he said.

Everyone in the room except for Kiku and the doctor flew into rage. They all defended Kiku and called the doctor a quack. Kiku's mind was once again full. Anorexia? 10% of all cases of anorexia happened to males. What were the symptoms again? Refusal to eat, obsessive desire to lose weight. Did he have that? He refused to eat, he wanted to get smaller.

"Kiku's smarter than that!" Vietnam shouted, breaking into Kiku's thoughts, "He wouldn't do that to himself! Right Kiku?" she turned to him.

Everyone started at Kiku, waiting for him to tell them that he had something else. Kiku tried to, he tried to assure everyone that he was fine, that he was going to be okay.

But he couldn't.

_He had anorexia._

Kiku looked down at his ands, and for the first time saw how thin they were. He felt himself and began to cry.

He had anorexia.

Yao pulled him into his arms, "Oh Kiku." he said, rocking him back and forth and rubbing his back and running a hand through his hair.

There was some words exchanged that Kiku didn't pay attention to. All that mattered to him at the moment was staying safe in Yao's arms, staying there forever.

After a moment, he managed to pull himself out of his mind for a moment, "Onii-san?" he called.

"Yes?" Yao asked, tightening his arms around Kiku.

"Are you angry with me?" Kiku asked.

Yao smiled sadly at him, "No. I'm not angry aru. I'm just very sad aru."

Kiku once again retreated into his mind, blubbering apologies to everyone. His family, his friends. Yao, Yong-soo and Hyong-soo, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Alfred, Matthew, Ludwig, Feliciano, and all the way to the beginning again. Eventually he drifted into the world of blackness that he had come to recognize as sleep.

He awoke hours later, in the same bed, in the same arms. Yao was slumped over him, having fallen asleep while still holding him. The rest of his family was scattered around the room. Kiku shifted a little on the bed. Yao grunted, then shook himself awake.

"Hey there aru." he said, once he was awake, "How are you feeling aru?"

Kiku whimpered, "Awful." he groaned.

Yao ran a comforting hand through his hair, "It's okay, we'll take care of you now aru."

Kiku leaned into the hand, "I'm sorry I threw a dish at you." Kiku said.

Yao hugged him, "It's okay. It doesn't matter anymore aru."

"I was so mad." Kiku said, pulling his arms around his brother.

"I forgive you aru." Yao said.

Kiku sighed, "Thank you, Onii-san."

Over the course of the next few weeks, the tall doctor, Dr. Braginski, oversaw his treatment. He gained weight, he talked to therapists, but he didn't want to eat. Everyone told him, 'you should eat, but we won't force you'. He didn't want to eat. He knew he should, he really needed to, but he didn't. His body told him to eat, but he still wasn't hungry. Not in the way he should be. He couldn't explain it.

"Mr. Honda." Dr. Braginski said one day, "I'm going to introduce you to one of the hospitals best Psychiatrists."

Kiku looked up from the book he was reading. Behind the tall Russian (Kiku recognized the accent), was a tiny man with blond hair and kind violet eyes. He can't be much older than Kiku, but then again, Yao looked like he was mid twenties at most, so Kiku didn't judge.

"Hello." the small man said to him, his accent sounding vaguely Nordic, "My name is Tino Vainamoinen, but you can call me Tino if you like."

Kiku nodded, "Hello Vainamoinen-san, it's nice to meet you."

Tino smiled at him. He sat down in the chair next to the bed after Dr. Braginski left, "So tell me about yourself."

Kiku shifted uncomfortably. He really hated this part, telling strangers about himself. Tino, however, picked up on this.

"Does it bother you?" he asked, "Why don't I go first?"

Kiku was surprised, "Um, alright."

Tino smiled, "Okay. I was born and raised in Finland. I once tried to kill myself by jumping off a bridge. But, I got over my problems and am now living in Sweden with my husband and adopted son." he said, smiling the whole time.

Kiku looked at him strangely, "How can you admit all that without feeling . . ."

Tino smiled again, "The first step to recovery is acceptance."

Kiku grew to like Tino, and eventually started calling him by his first name. After a while, Tino declared him ready to go home.

"But I still refuse to eat." Kiku said, "Why are you letting me go home?"

Tino smiled at him, "This place isn't helping you Kiku. Home will help better than any hospital."

So Kiku went home.

"Kiku!" Feliciano cried as he walked into his home, "I'm so sorry!"

"Ah!" Kiku yelped as he was tackled by the excitable Italian, "Feliciano-tan!"

Ludwig pulled Feliciano off of the Japanese man, "We're glad you're home Kiku."

"Thank you Ludwig-san." Kiku said, smiling.

"Ve~, I'll make you something to eat." Feliciano said, "To celebrate."

"Oh, that's alright Feliciano-tan, I'm not hungry." Kiku said, realizing after he said it how bad it sounded. He watched his two friends exchange a worried glance before saying, "But, maybe I could manage a few bites."

So It went. Kiku would eat at someone's request, but other than that, he wouldn't give food a second glance. He talked with Tino on a weekly basis, but he still had trouble with his issues.

"Tino-san, you mentioned that you tried to kill yourself. Why did you want to die?" Kiku asked one day.

"My parents kicked me out because I told them I was gay." Tino said, swirling his coffee in his cup, "They didn't want anyone to find out that their only child was 'defective'. Or something like that, I can't remember. Anyway, I lived on the streets for a while, making money 'off the corner'. But I wasn't happy with my life, as you can imagine. I kept on getting more and more depressed, until I couldn't take it anymore."

"What stopped you from jumping?" Kiku asked.

Tino smiled, "My husband, Berwald." he said, "Of course, he wasn't my husband yet. He was just the person who yanked me off the railing and took me in off the streets."

Kiku looked down at his hands. They were a little bigger now, plumped up by the food Kiku forced into his system, "Do you think I'll ever find that one person for me?" he said quietly.

"Who knows." Tino said, "The only thing you can do is look."

When Kiku got home that day, Ludwig was waiting for him, "We need to weigh you." he said.

Kiku nodded. He let himself be led to the bathroom. Dr. Braginski had said that it was best if Kiku wasn't wearing any clothes when he was weighing himself, that way Kiku couldn't 'cheat' his way into seeming heavier than he really was, and the person supervising could judge if he was too skinny by looking at him. When he had come home, Ludwig had taken over all of the technical sides to his progress, and that meant getting him on the scales.

"Alright, strip." Ludwig said, standing rigid against the door.

Kiku undressed slowly, keeping his clothes on himself as long as possible. He knew Ludwig wasn't interested in him, but he had a modesty that wasn't easily overcome. If there was any other way, Kiku would have taken it.

When he was finally naked, he stepped on the scale.

"Forty seven point twenty five kilograms." Ludwig read aloud, "That's one point thirty five kilograms up from last time." he said, writing the number down on the chart.

Kiku hastily dressed himself, "I've been eating a bit more." he said. He'd been forcing himself to, but at least he tried.

Kiku continued to slowly progress through his ailment. He gained weight, he ate. However, he still wouldn't willingly eat with out prompt. He had no explanation, but he still didn't want food.

Then, on one rainy day, that changed.

"_Wonderful."_ Kiku thought, shivering under a random awning, _"I go for a walk and it starts pouring down on me."_

Kiku had been out for a walk when it had begun to rain. The light drizzle quickly turned into sheets of downpour that soaked Kiku within seconds. he had found an awning and decided to wait until the rain passed while keeping as dry as possible underneath it.

"Hey." a deep, lazy voice sounded to his right, "You wanna wait inside until the storm passes?"

Kiku turned and came face to face with a handsome, well tanned man about his own age. His bronzed skin was stretched over an athletic frame and dark brown curls sat on top of his head. His green eyes looked straight at Kiku, clear despite being half-lidded in a sleepy looking manner.

"Uh, sure." Kiku said, hoping his face was flushed from the cold and not the fluttery feeling in his stomach.

The young man nodded and ushered him inside the building. It was a Greek restaurant, Kiku noticed. The young man led him to the back of the store to a lounge sort of room.

"I'm Heracles, by the way." he said, holding out his hand for Kiku's coat.

"I'm Honda Kiku." Kiku said, letting Heracles hang up his coat.

"Want something to eat?" Heracles asked.

Kiku shook his head, "I'm not hungry."

Heracles looked him up and down, "You sure?"

Kiku smiled, "I'll try and eat a few bites."

Heracles smiled at him, a lazy smile that looked like mischief, "You don't have to if you don't want to."

Surprised, Kiku looked up, "But aren't you worried about my anorexia?" he asked on automatic.

"Hm, I thought you looked a little thin." Heracles said.

"Er, sorry. All of the people I know know about my condition, so I answered on automatic." Kiku explained.

Heracles waved his hand dismissively, "It's okay. I won't force you to eat."

"I should eat something." Kiku said to himself.

Heracles nodded and pulled some bread and cheese out of the cupboard. he set them down in front of Kiku and watched him take small, slow bites.

"So you don't like to eat?" Heracles asked.

Kiku sighed, "It's not that I don't like it, I just don't feel hungry like I should. I know I am, but I . . . it's hard to explain."

Heracles leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes. He stayed that way for a while, not moving. Kiku had almost thought he had fallen asleep when he opened his eyes again, "Why don't you just say 'I'm hungry'?"

Kiku gave him a look, "I don't think it's that simple."

"Why not?" Heracles asked, "What harm could it do?"

Kiku sighed, but eventually gave in, "I'm hungry."

And, quite suddenly, Kiku was ravenous.

He'd been saying 'I'm not hungry' for so long that his mind had tricked him into believing that he wasn't hungry. Now that he felt the words rolled off his tongue, his mind kicked itself into 'drive' and out of 'reverse'. Kiku looked down at the bread and cheese in front of him, feeling his mouth water. He picked up a slice of bread and took a huge bite.

Heracles smiled at him, "What harm could it do, right?"

Kiku blushed, stuffing some more bread into his mouth.

When Kiku got home, he made a bee line for the refrigerator, "Onii-san, what is there to eat?" he asked Yao, who was sitting at the table.

"I think there's some left over wonton soup aru." he said, not thinking about ho was asking. Then he realized the situation, "Kiku! You're eating aru!"

Kiku smiled at him, "I'm hungry." he said, for the second time that day.

Yao leapt up and pulled Kiku into a hug as he found the soup that was hiding at the back, "Good boy Kiku aru! You're getting better aru!"

Kiku hugged Yao back, "Yeah. Thank you Onii-san." he said.

As Kiku put the soup into the microwave, Yong-soo entered the kitchen, "What's all the commotion?" he asked.

"Kiku's eating aru!" Yao said excitedly.

Yong-soo nearly fell over he was so surprised, "Holy hell, really?"

Just as Kiku was taking the now warm soup out of the microwave, the family piled themselves into the kitchen. Kiku smiled at them and took bite mouthfuls of soup. They patted his back, gave him noogies (mostly Yong-soo), hugged him, and told him how proud they were of him. Kiku laughed and smiled with them, happy to be part of the family again.

"So what brought the change? Yesterday you wouldn't even look at food until we made you." Vietnam asked.

Kiku thought of the clear green eyes that looked lazy and felt a blush creep onto his face, "N-no reason." he said, mumbling around the soup in his mouth.

Yong-soo had always been labeled 'the stupid one' of the family, but he had these annoying bits of insight at the most inconvenient of times.

"Oh-ho, did you meet someone?" Yong-soo teased.

Kiku felt his face heat up. The rest of the family now sported shit-eating-grins.

"What's she like?" Taiwan asked.

"Is she cute?" Thailand teased.

"Is she a 'he'?" the Im twins asked, poking Kiku in the ribs.

Kiku stuffed his mouth full of soup so he couldn't answer, skillfully avoiding the questions.

The next day, Kiku found himself at the Greek restaurant again. He took a deep breath and walked inside.

Heracles wasn't out in the front, but there was an older man working at the cash register, currently servicing a large family. He had dark brown eyes and hair, and a light stubble on his chin. Kiku walked over to him just as he finished handing the family their change.

"Can I help ya?" he said, his voice gruff. He scanned the tiny Japanese man, as though trying to recognize him.

"I'm looking for Heracles." Kiku asked.

The man rolled his eyes, "Damn kid's gone and found himself another one." he mumbled under his breath, "Heracles!" he shouted, startling Kiku, "Get yer ass out here!"

"What!?" came a voice from what was probably the kitchen. Heracles emerged from the back, an apron around his waist and smears of flour on his arms, apron, and cheek.

The older man gestured to Kiku, "Ya got a visitor."

Heracles looked down at Kiku and smiled, "Hey there." he said.

Kiku smiled back, "Hello again."

The older man chuckled deeply in his chest, "Alright ya two, take it to the back."

Heracles glared at the man and pulled Kiku by the arm into the lounge room were they sat in yesterday.

"Don't forget the bread!" the man called.

Heracles groaned, "Can you wait here for a second?" he asked Kiku.

Kiku nodded, "I have plenty of time."

Heracles smiled at him and went back into the kitchen. Kiku waited patiently for him to return. He was very startled when a grey tabby cat hopped up onto the couch beside him. It gave him a look, then crawled into his lap, snuggling itself in and getting comfy.

"Well hello there." Kiku said, scratching behind it's ear, "Aren't you friendly?"

The cat purred, leaning into Kiku's touch. At that moment, Heracles walked back into the lounge. He smiled at Kiku and the kitty.

"I see Jasmine found you." he said, sitting down next to Kiku.

"She's very friendly." Kiku said, still petting the cat on his lap.

"Yeah, she's pretty friendly." Heracles said.

Kiku smiled at Heracles, "Is she yours?"

Heracles nodded, "Yeah I suppose. But who really 'owns' their cat?"

Kiku laughed, "True."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, the only sounds coming from the purring cat and the bustle of people out front.

"So you work here?" Kiku said, then berated himself, _"Stupid, of course he works here, why else would he be making bread in the kitchen?"_

Heracles nodded, "I'm working for my uncle. Just until I can get on my feet."

Kiku nodded, "That sound reasonable."

"I'm trying to become a veterinarian." Heracles said, a small smile on his lips.

"You like animals?" Kiku asked.

Heracles nodded, "Cat's mostly."

Kiku stroked the cats fur, "I see that."

Heracles smiled at him. Kiku felt his face heat up.

"Hey, why don't we go out for coffee sometime?" Heracles asked.

Kiku jumped, "Um, sure."

Heracles smiled at him again, "Go sit out front, I'll make you something to eat, on the house."

Kiku shook his head, "Oh, I couldn't impose."

Heracles winked at him, "It's alright, it'll only be a small something. My shift ends in a few minutes anyway."

Two minutes later, Kiku was sitting at a window seat in the restaurant, a small bowl of soup in front if him. He quietly ate his soup, enjoying it's taste while he waited for Heracles to finish work. The older man came up to him and leaned over him, one hand on the table.

"So how'd ya meet Heracles?" he asked.

"We met yesterday. I was stuck out in the rain and he invited me in." Kiku said.

The man sat down in the opposite chair, "I'm Sadiq Adnan, Heracles's uncle." he said.

Kiku nodded, taking a sip of him soup.

"You know, that boy has a lot of one night stands." Sadiq said.

"He doesn't seem like the type." Kiku said.

"Yeah. He's real nicey-nice about the whole thing, is what it is." Sadiq said, "It's unusual that he goes on a date before it though."

Kiku blushed, "Heracles-san and I aren't like that." he said.

Sadiq rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I'll bet."

At that moment, Heracles came out from the back. He shot a glare at Sadiq before turning his attention to Kiku, "Ready to go?"

Kiku slurped up the last of his soup and stood up. Heracles smiled and led him out of the restaurant, shooting one last glare at Sadiq and wrapping an arm around Kiku's shoulder.

The next day, Kiku went back to the restaurant, fifteen minutes before Heracles's shift ended. The day after that, he did the same thing. It became routine, Kiku would wait fifteen minutes for Heracles's shift to end before going out and hanging out with him. Of course, other things happened around him.

"Kiku!" Feliciano cried, pulling Kiku into a tight hug, "Ludwig proposed to me! And I said yes!"

"Eh!?" Kiku cried, "Really!?"

Feliciano nodded, "I'm getting married!"

Kiku hugged the ecstatic Italian back, "That's wonderful Feliciano-tan! I'm so happy for you!"

Feliciano giggled, "We've decided to get married in Rome with my family." he said.

Kiku smiled, "I'll be sure to be there."

"I should hope so, you're the best man!" Feliciano said.

Kiku blushed, "Eh? The best man?"

Feliciano smiled, "You're our best friend Kiku. It'd be silly not to make you the best man."

Kiku smiled, "Right. Thank you."

Almost six months later, Kiku is in Rome with his family, friends, and Heracles (who he invited). He meets Feliciano's grandfather, Roma, who turned out to be a happy and light hearted man, and approved of Ludwig shortly after meeting him. He met Ludwig's grandfather, who apparently knew Roma from their younger days, but didn't exactly get along. He promised to behave himself for Ludwig's wedding, but only if Roma didn't piss him off. Kiku also met Gilbert, Ludwig's older brother. He was quite surprised to find that Gilbert, instead of being the serious blue eyed blonde that both Ludwig and his grandfather were, was a white haired, red eyed, carefree sort of man, with a taste for trouble and mischief. Kiku also met Gilbert's band mates, which consisted of Francis Bonnefoy, a Frenchman who grew up with Gilbert, and Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, a Spanish man who both grew up with Gilbert and, ironically, was interested Lovino. Kiku thought this was cute, but then he realized who Gilbert had brought along with him.

"Kiku?" Matthew said, obviously surprised, "What are you doing here?"

Kiku was just as surprised, "I'm the best man." he said.

Matthew smiled, "Small world huh?"

Kiku smiled, "Yes, it is."

"So how have you been?" Matthew asked.

Kiku smiled, "Well, I just got over a case of anorexia, but other than that, I'm perfectly fine."

Matthew's eyes widened, "Oh my goodness! Anorexia?"

Kiku smiled, "Yes, but I'm fine now."

"Well that's good." Matthew said, looking relieved, "So you know Ludwig or Feliciano?"

"Both. I traveled with them for a year." Kiku said.

"Sounds fun." Matthew said, smiling.

"So how do you know Gilbert?" Kiku asked.

Matthew blushed, "Oh, I'm Francis's cousin, but they've been staying with me in Canada."

Kiku nodded, "That must be nice."

Matthew laughed, "Aside from Gilbert waking me up at three AM for pancakes, it's been fun."

Kiku laughed, "Say hello to Alfred for me." he said, walking back to his family.

"Will do!" Matthew said, finding his way back to his cousin.

The rest of Kiku's stay in Italy passed with no incident. Ludwig and Feliciano got married and left for their honeymoon, two weeks in Venice, and everyone spent another few days in Rome before catching rides to their next destination. Kiku, however, was approached by Heracles.

"Let's go to Greece." he said.

"What?" Kiku said, startled by the sudden request.

"I have two ticket to Greece, come with me." Heracles said.

Kiku thought about it for a moment. He had nothing to lose, and he knew Heracles, so there was no danger. He didn't have a job he needed to return to. Kiku smiled. Well, he could afford to be a little wild, couldn't he?

"Okay." he said.

Heracles smiled. He grabbed Kiku's arm and began leading him away.

"Ah! I have to tell Yao where I'm going!" Kiku said, pulling back.

Heracles stopped, "Go on then. The plane leave in a half an hour."

Kiku ran off, catching Yao just as he was getting into a taxi.

"There you are aru!" he said, "Come on, we're going to the airport aru."

"I'm going to Greece." Kiku said.

Yao looked taken aback, "Greece? Why aru?"

"Heracles invited me." Kiku said, feeling his heart flutter in his chest at the thought of being together with Heracles in Greece.

Yao looked stricken, "Are you sure about this Kiku aru?"

Kiku nodded, "As sure as I'll ever be."

Yao looked at him for a moment longer, then smiled, "Have fun then aru."

Kiku smiled and hugged his brother before all but running back to Heracles. Heracles took his hand and smiled at him. They caught a taxi, picked up their bags at their hotels, then went to to airport, making it onto the plane just in time. They spent the next hour in cramped plane seats, watching the crappy inflight movie. Kiku decided, when he noticed that Heracles hadn't let go of his hand the entire time, that he wouldn't have it any other way.

"I remember this place." Heracles said as they walked down a busy street.

"You've been to Greece before?" Kiku asked, trying to keep his face the proper colour while Heracles was holding his hand.

"I lived here before my mother passed away." Heracles said.

"I'm sorry." Kiku said.

"Don't be. It happened a long time ago." Heracles said, squeezing Kiku's hand.

Kiku squeezed back, "I used to live in Japan."

Heracles smiled, "That must have been interesting."

Kiku shrugged, "I barely remember."

Heracles nodded, still smiling, "I'll take you back there one day." he said.

Kiku smiled, deciding not to tell him that he'd been there, but he hadn't seen much of anything. They visited a few places that Heracles knew from his childhood, and they stopped by a few places that Kiku knew about from his visit. Eventually, the ended up in a nice resort owned by a distant relative of Heracles. They were sitting in their room watching a movie when Heracles suddenly leaned over him and kissed him on the mouth.

"S'Agapo." Heracles said, "I love you."

Kiku blushed. He could only sit there, frozen as Heracles leaned down for another kiss. It took a moment for Kiku to respond to the kiss. He tentatively kissed back, shy and inexperienced as he was. Heracles pulled back, searching Kiku's eyes. Kiku gathered his courage and leaned into Heracles, aiming for his lips, but getting the corner of his mouth.

Heracles smiled, "You're so cute."

Kiku blushed, "I haven't kissed anyone before."

Heracles chuckled, "Was that your first kiss?"

Kiku shook his head, "I was kissed in high school once."

Heracles nodded, then leaned down for another kiss, this one harder and more passionate. Kiku whimpered. Heracles brought a hand up to cup his face, running a thumb over Kiku's soft jaw. Kiku sighed, parting his lips unconsciously, which Heracles immediately took advantage of. A warm tongue invaded his mouth, and Kiku drew back, panting and surprised.

"Sorry, guess I got too excited." Heracles said, "We can take it slow."

Kiku nodded, catching sight of the lump in Heracles's pants. He blushed. Heracles looked away in embarrassment.

"Sorry. You're very cute." Heracles said.

Kiku blushed, wondering what he wanted to do now. Should he take Heracles to bed? Should they take it slow? Kiku brought a hand to his mouth, feeling it tingle both where Heracles kissed him, and, embarrassingly enough, someplace lower. Before he could make up his mind and back out of it, Kiku placed a hand on Heracles's lap, softly rubbing the muscular thigh.

Heracles looked over at him. He laid a hand overtop of Kiku's, enveloping the small hand in his large one.

"We don't have to do this you know. I can wait." he said softly.

Kiku shook his head, "I-I can do this."

Heracles smiled. He wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled Kiku close, "Are you sure?"

Kiku looked up at Heracles, "Yes." he breathed.

Heracles leaned in for another kiss. Kiku responded eagerly this time, pressing his tongue back against Heracles's. They battled for a little while, with Heracles turning out to be the winner. Heracles laid Kiku gently down on the floor, running a hand up his sides. Kiku shivered.

"Mm Heracles." he whispered.

Heracles smiled against his lips and kissed him again. Slowly, he pulled Kiku's shirt up and off, revealing the thin, pale chest. Heracles pulled back to look at him. Kiku shifted under the intense gaze.

"Your still so thin." Heracles said, tracing a hand over over Kiku's ribs.

Kiku shivered, "I've always been thin."

Heracles stared at him for another moment before lowering his mouth to Kiku's neck. Kiku whimpered as Heracles laved away at his neck. He gasped lightly as Heracles started sucking hard on this one very sensitive spot on his neck. Heracles pulled away, smirking at the dark hickey he had placed on the ivory neck.

"Your so cute Kiku." he said, leaning down to kiss Kiku again.

Kiku wrapped his arms around the strong shoulders and neck. He groaned as Heracles started to gently grind against him, their hips colliding to create a delicious friction. Kiku ran his hands down the strong back and pulled at the hem of the green shirt. Taking the hint, Heracles sat up to remove his shirt. Kiku stared appreciatively at the toned muscles hidden under tanned skin. He reached up and placed a hand on the toned chest. He slowly slid his hand down the washboard stomach and stopped at the waistline of Heracles's blue jeans. He took a deep breath and moved his hand lower, brushing his fingertips over the hard bulge in the front of Heracles's pants.

"Mmm." Heracles groaned deep in his throat, "Kiku."

Kiku shuddered at the sound, "Heracles." he whispered.

The Grecian descended on him again, this time leaning down to run his tongue over pert pink nipples, causing Kiku to inhale sharply and moan sweetly.

"O~h." he moaned, squirming his hips under Heracles. When Heracles nibbled lightly on the sensitive bud, Kiku bucked his hips up, setting off a chain of events.

Their clothing clad cocks collided, causing Heracles to groan and lean forward and bury his face in Kiku's neck, grinding his hips against Kiku's. Kiku moaned, bucking again. They found a steady rhythm in this, grinding and bucking together.

Heracles pulled back and brought his hands down to undo Kiku's pants. He made swift work of both the pants and the boxers, leaving Kiku naked beneath him.

Kiku laid there, letting Heracles's eyes rove over his body. He yelped when Heracles picked him up and tossed him onto the bed. Heracles smiled down at him, before reaching down and unbuckling his belt. Ridding his body of his last articles of clothing, he laid down next to Kiku.

"We don't have to if you don't want to." he whispered into Kiku's ear, laying a comforting hand on Kiku's stomach.

Kiku closed his eyes and drank in the sensations around him. The smooth feeling of the sheets underneath him. The heat radiating from the body beside him. The tingling of his arousal, coursing through his veins. The heavy weight of the large, warm hand on his stomach. He took a deep breath. He wanted this, oh Kami-sama he wanted this.

"I want it, Heracles." he said, opening his eyes and looking at his soon to be lover, "I want it."

Heracles smiled at him, "Then I will give it to you." he said, pulling himself on top of Kiku.

Kiku moaned at the feeling of their bodies pressed together with no obstructions to shield the skin-on-skin feeling.

Heracles kissed his way down to Kiku's standing erection. He takes in into his hand a pumps, watching Kiku's face contort in pleasure.

"O~h~." Kiku moaned, thrusting into that hand.

Heracles continued to stroke the leaking shaft, bringing his mouth down to Kiku's stomach, dipping his tongue into the cute belly button. Kiku whined, writhing on the bed. Suddenly, Heracles's heat was gone from Kiku's body. He was just about to ask what the matter was when Heracles's mouth wrapped itself around Kiku's member.

"Ah!" Kiku cried thrusting up into that wet mouth.

Heracles choked for a moment, then forced himself to accept the light thrusts his little lover performed.

Deeming Kiku distracted, Heracles pressed a finger into the tight, virgin entrance, hoping the pre-cum on his hand would be enough lubricant to make it not painful for the other.

Kiku cried out, feeling the intrusion of his most private place. He whimpered when a second finger joined the first, scissoring and stretching Kiku for the aching dick that was going to plunge into the tight depths.

Heracles added the third finger, diligently preparing his small lover. After a moment, he pulled his fingers out.

"Are you ready?" he said, releasing the throbbing length from his mouth.

Kiku gave a light nod, too dazed to form coherent sentences. The world suddenly tilted, and Kiku found himself straddling the wider hips of his lover. Taking the hint, he positioned himself above the thick length, and slowly lowered himself, swallowing the pulsing organ into his body.

"_Oh Kami-sama."_ Kiku thought, _"He's so big."_

Heracles grabbed Kiku's thin hips, holding him in place while they both adjusted. Kiku moaned, trying not to move, but wanting to so badly.

"Oh please." Kiku whined, "I need to . . ."

Heracles hesitated for a moment, before thrusting his hips up. Kiku cried out, bucking his hips downward,trying to get Heracles in deeper. Kiku lifted himself up and then dropped himself down onto Heracles. He screamed when Heracles brushed against that spot inside him. He began to rhythmically move himself above the larger man, Heracles responding by thrusting upwards into the tight heat. They eventually fell into an odd rhythm that fell into place after a few thrusts.

"He-Hera-c-cles, I'm gonna . . ." Kiku moaned in between cries of pleasure.

"Yeah, me too." Heracles groaned, thrusting hard into Kiku's entrance.

With a loud cry, Kiku came, arching his back and spilling himself over the Grecian's chest. Feeling the tight muscles contract around him, Heracles gave one last thrust before filling Kiku to the breaking point, letting out a small cry as he did so.

Coming back down, Kiku collapsed, falling forward onto the sweat soaked chest, squishing the evidence of their fun between them. He felt Heracles run his warm hand through his damp hair as he drifts off, tired and spent and satisfied.

When Kiku woke up the next morning, he was still cradled in the strong arms, lying on top of the strong chest. Kiku looked up at the sleeping face of his lover and smiled. He snuggled back down into Heracles's chest and sighed, listening to the heartbeats that he knew beat for him.

Heracles stirred, opening his eyes and looking down at Kiku's smiling face, "Hm, I could get used to this." he said smiling.

Kiku laughed, "Yeah, same here."

They stayed that way for a few more minutes before Kiku attempted to sit up. He flopped back down when a sharp pain seared his lower back.

"Ouch." he said, "That hurt."

Heracles kissed his cheek, "Sorry. I should have been gentler."

Kiku shook his head, "No, it was fine. Perfect."

Heracles smiled, "Why don't I order some room service and we stay in bed the whole day?" he said, nuzzling Kiku's neck.

Kiku smiled back, "That sounds good. I'm actually really hungry." he said, wrapping his arms around the strong shoulders.

Heracles smiled wider, "That's a good thing."

Kiku kissed Heracles on the lips, "Yes, yes it is."

**Author Commentary:** And there it is! Next up, Ivan's story! Hope you liked it. Review me please.


	3. Remember

**Author Commentary:** Hey everyone! I'm back with IVAN'S STORY! FUCK YEAH!

PS; Age differences are - Ukraine=19, Russia=8, Natalia=1, and Russia=22, Lithuania=18, Estonia=16, Latvia=14

PSS; When it's just Ukraine/Russia/Natalia speaking to each other, they speak Russian.

**Character:** Russia

**Rating:** M

**Warning:** Yaoi, Angst, Dark themes, Some sexual relations/references

**Disclaimer:** I fucking wish.

"Sister, where are we going?" Ivan asked, speaking in his native Russian and looking up at Katyusha.

Katyusha smiled, "We're going to America, little brother. There, we can live better."

Ivan remembered his sister telling him this as they traveled by boat to the faraway land that Ivan had heard of, leaving his home of Russia behind in favor of the capitalist nation. Ivan was unsure of how this was good. He liked Russia, even if it got cold during the winter and his mother and father had froze to death because they couldn't afford to heat their small home. He liked it more than this 'America' he'd heard of. It sounded too hot, for one thing. Ivan didn't 'like' the cold, but he'd become used to it.

"Can we live somewhere where it's not too hot?" Ivan asked.

Katyusha smiled, shifting Natalia, their baby sister, in her arms, "We'll see." she said.

Ivan smiled back, trying to mirror his sisters positive attitude. She took his hand as the landmass that was to be their new home came into view.

Ivan remembered Katyusha telling him to stay where he was while she did some 'official business' and to look after his little sister. Ivan did as he was told, staying in the lobby like area in the building where they went to after they got off the ship. He remembered that Natalia hadn't been feeling well since they left the country, but Katyusha told him she was probably just seasick. Ivan remembered this statement as he held the one year old over the trash can as she puked. He wasn't angry at Natalia though, she didn't have any control over what her body did. Very few people had complete control over what their bodies did.

"Ivan." Katyusha called, "Ivan, we can go now."

"Okay." Ivan said as he wiped away the remnants of vomit from the now fussing Natalia's face.

Katyusha smiled at them, placing a hand on Ivan's back and gently pushing them out into the new world that they had arrived in. Ivan decided he really didn't like it. It was too loud and bright, even though it was night time. Cars beeped and honked, people swore at one another in a language that was only just beginning to become familiar to Ivan. Katyusha kept on smiling and took Natalia from Ivan, balancing her in one arm and taking Ivan's hand with her free hand. They walked around the large sprawling city, looking for something that Ivan wasn't sure of. However, Katyusha seemed to know what she was doing. She led him to a large building that sort of looked like the churches that his mother used to take him to on holidays. She took them inside and exchanged some words in English with a minister-person while Ivan looked after Natalia again.

"Good news." Katyusha said quietly, "They have an extra bed, so we can stay here tonight."

Ivan looked up at his elder sister, "What about tomorrow?" he asked.

Katyusha smiled sadly, "I don't know yet."

The next night they slept on the street.

Katyusha was very fussy about the whole ordeal. She arranged the three of them so that only she was on the ground and so Ivan and Natalia were on top of her. She swept away any glass that was on the pavement even though they had found some cardboard to lay down on. She took some old curtains that looked like they had been shredded by a cat and laid them over top of them. Ivan wrapped his arms around Natalia and snuggled into Katyusha's generous chest as a warm pillow. They spent the next few nights this way, crammed together on a narrow strip of cardboard and covered by questionable curtains.

One day, while Katyusha was looking for a job and Ivan had no choice to tag along, a young man approached Katyusha. He was older, late forties, with very grey hair. He looked at Katyusha with an odd gleam in his eyes and kept his sight trained below Katyusha's face even though he was speaking to her. Ivan couldn't understand what they were saying, but Katyusha was looking like she didn't really like it. The man said something and Katyusha tensed, then looked down at Ivan. Her eyes looked like they were going to fill with tears for a minute, before she turned back to the man and said something to him. The man looked delighted and motioned them to follow him. Katyusha nodded and bent down so she was eye level with Ivan.

"Ivan," she said, "I've found a job."

Ivan smiled, "That's good sister." he said, the noticed how sad she looked, "Why are you so sad?"

Katyusha smiled, "It's nothing," she said, wrapping her arms around Ivan, "You'll probably understand when you grow up."

The man led them to an upscale looking part of town. He brought them into an expensive looking hotel where hey took the elevator to the top floor. Ivan couldn't help but marvel at the sheer extravagance of his surroundings. The man brought them to a large suite where he ordered some food for Ivan and Natalia before leading Katyusha into what looked like a bedroom. Ivan happily ate his food and fed Natalia (though a lot of it ended up on the floor, she was very fussy). He waited for his sister to come out of the room, but she didn't come out for a long time. The older man came out after a while. He smiled down at Ivan, but Ivan couldn't help but feel like he was back in the cold Russian winters when he did.

"Hello there." he said in English, one of he few phrases that Ivan could understand.

"Hello." Ivan said back, his accent thick.

"What's you're name?" again something he could understand.

"Ivan Braginski." he said.

They exchanged a few words that Ivan could understand (though that was few) before Katyusha stepped out of the bedroom. Her hair was wet and she looked like she had been crying (something she did a lot of, so Ivan wasn't too worried).

She smiled at Ivan, "Would you like to take a bath Ivan?" she asked.

Ivan nodded, picking up Natalia and following Katyusha to the bathroom. They washed Natalia first and then Ivan washed himself. They slept in the extra bedroom that night and left that morning.

For the next month, they repeat this process. Katyusha would see the man, then they would have money for other things. They usually spent nights at cheap hotels or in churches when they could. Even though spending nights with the man was her 'job', Katyusha still searched for work. She finally found work waitressing and doing odd jobs. They didn't have to visit the man as much anymore, but Katyusha started going back when Ivan restarted school that September. He had to be in special supplementary classes due to his inability to speak proper English, so he ended up not having many friends. He tried to talk to the other children, but they mostly laughed at him because of his way of speech. When Ivan turned ten, something happened that would haunt him for the rest of his school career.

"Why do you talk so funny?" one of the popular children asked him.

Ivan tilted his head, "I talk funny?"

The little boy rolled his eyes, "Yeah, we can barely understand you."

Ivan smiled, "I am Russian, da? I have a Russian accent."

A light giggle floated up from the children. The boy who spoke to him smirked, "Well it's stupid."

Ivan was startled, "Stupid?"

More laughter, "Yeah, why can't you speak normally?"

"If I speak normally, you wouldn't understand me." Ivan said, referring to how none of them could speak a bit of Russian, and how speaking Russian was normal to him.

"Oh yeah? Prove it." Another child piped up.

Ivan hesitated a moment, then shrugged and began speaking Russian. One of the children, whose family was very religious (very, very religious) began to scream.

"He's speaking the devil's tongue!" he screeched, going into hysterics, having never heard Russian in his life.

The rest of the children started to scream, even as Ivan stopped speaking in his mother tongue. The first child grabbed a stick and whacked Ivan in the side of the head, hard. Ivan crumpled to the ground. He lifted a hand to the now throbbing area and stayed there for a moment, listening to the taunts of the other children.

"That's what you get for being weird!" the first child cried.

Ivan doesn't remember how he got on top of the other boy, how he got the rock into his hand, or even how he got covered in blood. All he remembers is that other child's face in his mind while his body acted on it's own. He remembers the other children screaming, and someone lifting him away. He clearly remembers sitting in the office with many adults interrogating him and looking at him like a diseased animal.

"Ivan!" Katyusha called as she entered the room, obviously frantic, "Are you okay?"

Ivan started crying, "He called me the devil. They called me weird." he sobbed, not understanding why this was so important.

Katyusha got him to slow down and explain what had happened. In the end, Ivan was relocated to a different school, and Katyusha made him send an apology to the boy in the hospital. Rumors spread however, and Ivan could never make any friends, no matter how nice he tried to be. He began to withdraw from everyone, choosing to remain close to his family instead. This was difficult however, since Katyusha was usually at work. Instead, he focussed his attention on Natalia, teaching her both English and Russian, while also telling her about how beautiful Russia was, and how they were going to go back there one day. However, this seemed to backfire on Ivan, for Natalia grew dependent on Ivan, and refused to leave his side. She only became more independent when Ivan pleaded for her to leave him and give him some peace. She still clung to him like glue though, always begging him to be with her.

"Brother!" she called as soon as he walked through the door, "Brother, lets play together!"

Ivan smiled weakly, "I have homework, da? I cannot play with you now."

Natalia stomped her foot, "But I want to be with brother!"

Ivan sighed, "Okay, you can play in my room while I do homework as long as you promise not to interrupt for unimportant things."

Natalia nodded her head eagerly, anything to be closer to her beloved brother. While Ivan finished his biology (a subject he was exceptionally good at) homework, Natalia played with her dolls on the floor by Ivan's feet. When Ivan turned fourteen, Katyusha gave him more freedom, and even deemed him worthy to have an allowance. He began staying out late on the city, trying to find other kids his age to be his friends. He was shot down every time, but he persisted.

One day, after getting completely lost in the city, he slumped down on the steps of an old library. He began thinking of Katyusha, and how she never payed much attention to him. He remembered spending long winters huddled together with his family in Russia. His very tall father with the angular face that Natalia inherited, but the blond hair that both of his sisters had. His mother with the generous chest and heart that passed to Katyusha, and the round face and childish looks that Ivan carried with him. There were other family members at one time, but Ivan barely remembers.

"Hello?" came a voice from behind Ivan, startling him.

Ivan whipped his head around, locating the voice. What he saw made his eyes widen. Standing on the steps of the library was the most beautiful person Ivan had ever seen. Long, silky, ink-black hair tied into a low, loose ponytail and tossed carelessly over his shoulder. The person was tiny, not even as tall as Ivan when standing. Smooth, ivory skin provided a sharp contrast to the dark hair. However, it was the eyes that entrance Ivan the most. Slanted in the Asian fashion, they were the most beautiful shade of amber that Ivan had ever seen. Ivan swallowed thickly.

"Who are you?" he asked the beautiful stranger.

The Asian smiled at him, "Yao. What's your name aru?"

Yao, a Chinese name, and male if he Ivan wasn't mistaken, "Ivan." he answered.

"What are you doing here aru?" Yao asked.

Ivan shrugged, "Needed to think."

Yao smiled again, "What about?" he asked.

Ivan sighed, "My sister works and works. She never has time for me."

Yao smiled, looking sympathetic, "Why does she work?"

Ivan kicked a chunk of cement, "We don't have a lot of money, but she wants to make sure me and my little sister have everything we want, da?"

Yao's eyes softened, "Well, then she's working because she loves you, right aru?" he said.

Ivan sighed again, "Yes, I know that, but what I really want is to be with her, da?"

"Then tell her aru." Yao said.

Ivan looked up at Yao, "Is it really that simple?" he asked.

Yao looked thoughtful for a moment, "I don't know, but it's worth a shot aru."

With that, Yao extended his hand. Ivan looked down at the hand. It was so delicate looking; if he were to take it into his own monstrous grip, he would surely crush it. He looked back up to the stunning face and swam in the depths of the wise amber eyes. He looked back at the hand and grabbed onto it, pushing himself up more than pulling on Yao's hand. The thought of returning home without spending more time with this beauty come to earth made Ivan make a hasty decision.

"Would Yao like to go out with me?" Ivan asked, trying to prolong his time with the Chinese male.

Yao jumped, "Uh, right now?" he asked, looking a little shaken by the offer.

"Da." Ivan said, squeezing the hand in his lightly, reveling in the feeling of the soft skin against his.

Yao bit his lip cutely and looked indecisive for a long moment. Ivan waited patiently for Yao to either accept or reject him. If he rejected him, then Ivan was simply not meant to have friends.

Yao took a deep breath, then looked up at him, "Uh, sure aru." he said.

Ivan smiled, his heart filling with joy. Katyusha and Natalia would just have to wonder where he was for the night, "Great," he said, "let's go get some coffee."

Ivan tugged Yao in the direction of a small coffee shop he saw on his way over to the library, "Sounds good." Yao said, trying to smile.

Ian smiled and increased his pace, keeping a tight hold on Yao's hand so he didn't get separated. They turned into the coffee shop and Ivan began fishing for his wallet.

"What would you like?" he asked, finding the old leather wallet that Katyusha had given to him for his fourteenth birthday.

Yao shook his head, "Oh, that's all right aru. You don't have to get me anything." he insisted.

"I want to, da?" Ivan said, walking up to the counter. It would probably take up a chunk of his savings, but he wanted to spoil Yao.

He heard a sigh from the smaller man, "A small green tea, I don't like coffee aru."

Ivan ordered their drinks and they exited the store, Ivan grabbing onto the small, delicate hand again. He looked up and saw a movie theater across the street from them.

"Would you like to go see a movie?" Ivan asked.

"Sounds nice aru." Yao said.

Ivan smiled and tugged Yao onto the street and across. They debated over what movie to watch before settling on a comedy. Ivan insisted on buying the tickets, but Yao refused to let him pay for them. In the end, Yao payed for the tickets. About halfway through the movie, Ivan felt the weight of Yao's head on his arm. He turned and smiled at the beautiful person sitting next to him.

Throughout the rest of the night, Ivan found himself falling in love with Yao. He loved how Yao tended to end his sentences with 'aru'. He loved how frugal Yao tried to be, spending as little as possible, but at the same time trying to be equal with who payed for what (Ivan would have gladly paid for everything, but Yao was stubborn). He loved the cute pouts and smiles and other expressions that Yao showed him, though he tried to hide them. Ivan couldn't help but picture what Yao would look like in traditional Chinese clothing, imagining Yao would look like an ancient emperor thrust into the modern world. When it became time for them to part, Ivan could barely contain his sadness.

"I had a nice time." Ivan said as they walked back to Yao's home (Ivan had to protect Yao; he was so beautiful that someone would surely snatch him up if he wasn't there).

"It was nice aru." Yao said, smiling. They came to an old apartment building and stopped.

"I guess this is goodbye then, da?" Ivan said sadly, trying not to cry.

"Yeah." Yao said, masking whatever he was feeling.

Ivan squeezed the supple hand once more. Before he could talk himself out of it, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Yao's. He was delighted when Yao kissed back, pressing his lips up against Ivan's. Ivan pulled away slowly, imprinting Yao's face into his mind forever. He leaned forward again, placing his lips next to Yao's ear and resisted the urge to lick it.

"I'll find you again one day. Count on it, my sweet Angel." he said in Russian, squeezing Yao's hand, trying to imprint the feeling of the naked skin against his before turning and leaving.

After finding his way home (after getting lost again), Ivan plopped down on his bed and sighed. Well, there was no questioning his sexuality now.

The next morning, Katyusha confronted him about why he came home at three in the morning last night.

"What on earth were you doing?!" she cried.

Ivan shifted uncomfortably, "I got lost, twice."

Katyusha sighed, "You couldn't call us from a pay phone and told us why you were late? Or gone into a building for directions?"

Ivan shrugged, "I didn't think of it." he said truthfully.

In the end, Ivan ended up grounded, which wasn't as bad a punishment as it could have been if Ivan had any friends. After his punishment was over, Ivan tried repeatedly to find the library where he met Yao, but to no avail. Ivan quickly progressed through school, excelling in biology. He received several scholarships to a prestigious medical school. Ivan accepted them and began the long training that was required to become a doctor. He found it considerably easy, and could never figure out why some people struggled with the material.

Progressing into his third year of med school, Ivan stumbled drunkenly (he had discovered his taste for vodka when he'd turned 21) into a bus station. At the age of 22, He was already moved out of Katyusha's and into his own apartment. He still dropped by on his days off, or whenever he could find the time, but Natalia's growing obsession with him was starting to drive him away. He had never forgotten Yao either, always entertaining the thought of finding that sweet angel and bringing him away to Russia with him. He played with this thought as he sat down on the bench that would hold him until the bus came to take him home. He stood back up when he felt a foot underneath his rear.

"Sorry." he said, slurring slightly, "Didn't see you."

"That's okay." a small male voice floated up, "It's happened before."

Ivan looked down, seeing three pairs of eyes looking up at him. The first pair, a lovely shade of green belonged to a slender brunette; the second, this time sky blue, belonged to a bespectacled blonde; the last pair, a pretty violet colour, sat in the skull of a young, silvery-haired boy. They where all huddled together under a plastic sheet, shivering and trying to keep warm.

"_They're homeless."_ Ivan thought. He remembered the first few weeks that he and his sisters spent in the USA. He extended his hand, "Would you like to come home with me? It'll be a lot warmer than staying out here in the bus stop, da?"

The brunette looked up, "Could we?"

Ivan nodded as the bus pulled up, "Come. I'll look after you." he said, smiling.

The brunette looked at the hand, then down at the two younger boys with him. He looked back up at Ivan and took his hand. Ivan smiled and pulled him up. He paid for all of their passage on the bus and brought them to his apartment. On the trip, he learned that the brunette's name was Toris Laurinaitis and the two boys with him were his adoptive brothers, Eduard Von Bock and Raivis Galante. They had come from Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia, respectively, and had lived in the USA for only a short time. Ivan in turn, told them his name and a bit about his background. Ivan found himself warming up to Toris quickly, finding the warm and inviting personality endearing. When they reached Ivan's apartment, Ivan gave them all things to sleep in and some warm blankets. That morning, Ivan woke up to the smell of bacon cooking. He walked into the kitchen, finding Toris watching a sizzling pan of bacon that Ivan hadn't bothered to use yet.

"Oh, good morning Mr. Braginski." Toris said cheerfully, "I hope you don't mind me using your stove and bacon."

"It's fine, as long as I get some, da?" Ivan said smiling.

Toris laughed quietly, "Thank you for putting us up for the night. We really appreciate it. We'll get out of your hair as soon as we can."

Ivan paused for a moment, "You're welcome to stay, da? I have no roommate, and it's nice to have someone else in the house."

Toris looked surprised, "Oh, we couldn't do that. We don't have anything to give you in return."

Ivan smiled and shook his head, "How about you do housework in exchange for rent? That should be compensation enough, da?"

Toris's face lit up in gratefulness, "Yes! Thank you very much Mr. Braginski!" he said. He put a generous amount of bacon on a plate and handed it to Ivan.

Ivan smiled, "Please, call me Ivan."

"What's going on?" Raivis asked, coming into the kitchen, wearing only Ivan's overlarge shirt and rubbing his eyes of sleep.

Toris walked over and hugged him, "Ivan has agreed to let us stay here. Isn't that great?"

Raivis nodded eagerly and hugged Toris back, "Thank you Mr. Braginski." he said around Toris's arm.

So, the three brothers stayed with Ivan. Toris worked around the household while Eduard and Raivis went to school. Ivan found himself becoming used to the three very quickly. He enjoyed Toris's company the most; being around him gave Ivan feelings that reminded him of Yao. Addicted to the feeling, Ivan decided to approach Toris one day.

"I like you." Ivan said one evening after his twenty-third birthday.

"E-eh?" Toris said, nearly dropping the coffee pot he was holding.

"I like you." Ivan said, more forceful this time, "Please go out with me."

Toris looked a little frightened, like a cornered bunny, but he smiled at Ivan, "A-alright."

Ivan smiled. He stood and wrapped his arms around the shivering boy. He smiled down at Toris, who offered a shaky smile in return. Eduard and Raivis weren't home right now, so what Ivan wanted to do should probably be easy.

Ivan slid a hand up Toris's shirt, to which Toris jumped and tried to get out of Ivan's grip.

"W-what are you doing?" he asked, his voice rising a little.

Ivan tightened his grip, "We are going out now, da? This is something couples do."

Toris looked up at him, fear in his eyes, "B-but, we only just became a couple! We haven't even gone on a date."

Ivan smiled and pulled Toris's shirt over his head, "Silly Toris, we don't have to go on a date to do this sort of thing, da?"

Ivan striped Toris of all his clothing, ignoring the protests the smaller Lithuanian. He picked him up and carried him to the bedroom. Ivan quickly pulled off his own clothing and laid down on top of Toris.

"Eduard and Raivis will be home any minute." Toris said, trying to wiggle out from beneath Ivan.

Ivan kissed him, meshing their lips together. He trailed a hand down and circled Toris's entrance.

"H-hey!" Toris yelped, "Shouldn't we have lube?"

Ivan stopped, "Hm, I suppose you're right." he said. He brought his hand away and placed them at Toris's mouth, "Suck." he commanded.

Toris hesitated, but took the fingers into his mouth, trying to get as much saliva on them as possible. Ivan deemed them coated thoroughly and removed them from the wet heat. He placed them back at Toris's entrance and pushed one in. Toris whined, squirming at the feeling of something wriggling around inside of him. Ivan smiled down at him and pushed in another finger stretching him.

"U-u~h~n . . ." Toris groaned, fueling Ivan's desire.

Ivan pressed another finger in, scissoring them to stretch Toris as much as possible. He removed his fingers and positioned himself at Toris's entrance.

"Are you ready?" Ivan asked.

Toris looked half like he wanted to run away, and haft aroused. He gave a shaky nod, "Please be gentle." he said quietly.

Ivan giggled and pushed in, sinking into the tight heat. Toris keened, arching his back and trying to wiggle away. Ivan grabbed his hips and held him still. Ivan waited a few minutes before thrusting forwards. Toris screamed, tears forming in his eyes. Ivan continued to thrust, making the bed creak under them. Eventually, Toris's cries of pain turned into pleasure, and Ivan's vigor was renewed tenfold. He changed his angle and Toris suddenly screamed in pleasure. Ivan smiled and slammed into that spot over and over.

"Ah! I-Iv-van, p-pleas-se slow d-down." Toris begged, squirming underneath Ivan.

Ivan smiled, "But we're both so close, da?" he panted, bringing a hand down to pump Toris's neglected member.

Toris, reaching his limit arched and cried out, spilling his thick seed all over Ivan's chest. Predictably, Ivan was not far off, and feeling Toris's walls clamp down on him led to Ivan's own climax. The two collapsed, Ivan balancing his weight on his elbows so he didn't crush the smaller man. He rolled to the side and pulled Toris into his arms. He petted the soft brunette hair before slowly drifting into sleep.

The next morning, Ivan woke alone. The shower was on in the bathroom, so Ivan had an idea as to where Toris was. Ivan smiled and got up, heading toward the bathroom door. Finding that it was locked, Ivan knocked loudly.

"Toris!" he sang, "Toris let me in! Let's shower together!"

Ivan waited for a few minutes. The shower turned off and Toris stepped out. His hair was wet and he was already dressed. He looked up at Ivan and gave a weak smile.

"Ah, g-good morning Ivan. Would you like some coffee?" he asked, walking past Ivan, limping.

Ivan grabbed his arm, "Why didn't you let me in the shower with you?" he asked, pulling the puppy dog look that only Ivan could have pulled off with his height.

Toris looked up at him, "Oh, sorry. I didn't hear you."

Ivan frowned but let go of Toris's arm, "Coffee would be nice. I have to leave in a few minutes."

They lived like this for a few more months. Ivan would wake up to an empty bed with Toris in the shower. Toris would always lock the door and come up with excuses to not let Ivan in with him. When Ivan was finally proclaimed a doctor, and gaining a good reputation fast, they moved into a large, modern home, which Ivan picked out just for Toris. However, now that Ivan had more time on his hands, he began to find new ways to entertain himself. One of which was vodka. He began to wake up to Toris still in bed, but so sore that he couldn't walk.

"Ah, I'm sorry Toris." Ivan said one morning, rubbing Toris's lower back, "I have such difficulty controlling myself when I have vodka in my system."

Toris moaned, "It's okay. I understand." he croaked.

Ivan smiled and kissed the back of his neck. He noticed a dark red mark on Toris's neck, "Is this a bite?" he asked.

Toris nodded, "It doesn't hurt though."

Ivan rolled Toris over and inspected the bite. It had broken the skin and bled quite a bit, staining the skin, sheets, and hair that it had encountered. Ivan got up off the bed and got out his first aid kit out of his new brief case. He went back to the bed and wiped away the dried blood. He disinfected the wound and bandaged it.

"There." he said, smiling down at Toris, "All better."

Toris smiled back, "Thank you Ivan."

Ivan smiled, "I'll drive Eduard and Raivis to school, you stay in bed and rest."

Toris nodded. Ivan smiled again and leaned down to give him a peck on the lips.

"Eduard! Raivis! Come on, time to go to school!" Ivan called, fixing his tie.

"Okay." Eduard said, pulling Raivis along.

Ivan smiled the whole way as he drove the two teens to school. This was the perfect life. A boyfriend, a big house and a high paying job, and two kids (sort of). Ivan couldn't be happier. Sure, he needed to control his drinking a little (Raivis had gotten a nasty bruise last week, but Ivan had been so sorry afterwards that he had bought him a new iPod), but he could work on it.

After dropping Eduard and Raivis off at school, he made a detour on his way to work. He loved Toris, and he wanted him to stay with him forever. The face of an Asian angel flashed through his mind. He shook it off and parked his nice car outside the jewelry store.

That night, he suggested that Toris and him go out to a nice dinner while Eduard and Raivis stayed home. Toris was a little reluctant at first, but he eventually caved in and let Ivan take him out to a fancy French restaurant.

"How do you like it?" Ivan asked, smiling at Toris from across the table.

"It's very good. Thank you Ivan." Toris said, smiling back.

"Ah, I have a surprise for you Toris." Ivan sang, reaching into his pocket for the diamond ring he bought earlier.

Toris kept on smiling, but then gasped as Ivan got down on one knee and took his left hand. Silent tears began to roll down his face.

"Toris Laurinaitis, will you marry me?" Ivan asked, pulling out the little black box and opening it, showing the beautiful ring in the shape of a blooming flower.

Toris cried harder for a moment, before nodding his head, unable to find words. Ivan felt his chest almost explode as he slipped the ring onto the slender finger. A small audience clapped and cheered for the new couple as they shared a quick kiss. Ivan wrapped his arms around Toris and held him until he stopped crying.

When they got home, Ivan couldn't wait to tell the younger two of the brothers and called them out from where they were hiding. They smiled and congratulated the two. The next day, Ivan proudly boasted to all of his coworkers, accepting all of their congratulations and teases. He called his sisters and told them the good news, to which Katyusha cried and Natalia cried (for different reasons).

Toris decided he wanted to have a long engagement and wanted to wait for a year or two. Ivan couldn't see the reason why, but, if it made Toris happy, he would wait.

Things were perfect for a while. Eduard graduated at the top of his class and was planning on going into economics or technology. Raivis was starting to grow a little taller. Katyusha was doing well for herself. Natalia was doing well in school. Ivan and Toris were starting to plan for the wedding. Ivan couldn't help but try to persuade Toris to bring the date closer, but Toris stood firm.

A year and a half later, when Ivan was just turning 25, Toris left him.

"Why!" Ivan pleaded, grabbing Toris's shoulders and shaking him a little, "Why are you leaving me?"

"I'm sorry!" Toris cried, "I'm really sorry!"

Ivan gripped his shoulders tighter, "Tell me why!"

"I'm scared of you!" Toris blurted. Realizing what he said, Toris's eyes shot open and a look of horror crossed his face.

Ivan loosened his grip, shocked, "You're afraid of me?"

Toris nodded, breaking down into tears, "You frighten me. I can't live with you while being constantly scared. You try to be gentle, I get that, but . . . I just can't Ivan." he sobbed.

Ivan let go of Toris, "Then why did you stay with me for so long?"

Toris took a few deep breaths, trying to gain his composure, "Eduard and Raivis." he whispered, "I wanted Eduard and Raivis to live like normal teens. If I rejected you . . . I didn't want them out on the streets."

Ivan stood there for a moment, looking down at his fiance. In a flash, he grabbed hold of Toris's shoulders again, gripping with bruising strength. Toris looked up at him with terror in his eyes. Ivan lifted him off of the ground for a moment, then thought better of it and dropped the slender brunette to the floor. Toris crumpled to the ground and laid there, as if afraid to move.

"I'm going for a drive." Ivan said, his voice emotionless, "When I get back, I want all three of you out. You can call a moving truck and put it on my tab."

That night, Ivan went over to his sisters place. When they heard the news, they were shocked.

"But he seemed so nice." Katyusha cried. She wrapped her arms around Ivan's chest and gave him a tight hug, "You can stay here for the night if you want."

Ivan hugged her back, letting go briefly so Natalia could join them, "That's okay. I just need to be alone, da?"

Ivan drove around that night, passing the church where they had spent their first night in, which had turned into a casino somewhere along the line. He passed the hotel that Katyusha used to go to with that man, which had since become so run down that it was scheduled for demolition. He passed his old school, where he had bludgeoned that other boys skull with a rock. He'd heard that the boy who he'd nearly killed was now a convict. He passed his old apartment, where he and Toris had done it for the first time. He passed his old collage, still standing proudly in it's foundations. He passed the hospital, where he was now working. The only place he couldn't seem to find was that library where he met the beautiful Yao. He fantasized about finding him again. He clenched his hand and remembered how that soft skin felt against his. He thought of that kiss, remembering how the warm lips melded perfectly with his own.

When he got home that night, Toris, Eduard, and Raivis were gone. Ivan took a bottle of vodka out of the fridge and flopped down on the bed. He dredged up memories from a place he had nearly forgotten existed tonight. He remembered his mother and father, buried in the cold Russian ground thousands of kilometers away. He remembered the face of that man who had eyes like ice. He remembered the feeling of that child's blood on his hands. He remembered the feeling of being with Toris, his walls tight around him. He remembered so many things from his past, but the thing that stood out on his mind the most was the night he found Yao. He could clearly picture every sight, sound, touch, smell, taste, and feeling from that night. He wondered what happened to Yao. Did Yao remember him like he remembered Yao? Ivan sighed and drank away his night, calling in sick the next morning, even though he didn't get hung over and today was no exception. He stayed out of work for a week before getting up the courage to face his old life.

"Hello." said a small blonde that Ivan didn't recognize, "I'm Tino Vainamoinen. I'm the new psychiatrist, from the doctor exchange?"

Ivan nodded, "Ah yes. You're from Sweden right? You speak very good English."

Tino laughed, "Thank you. I look forward to working with you for the next year."

Ivan smiled at the tiny man. He went about his job with the same precision and quality as before Toris left him, as a true professional would. He filled his days with as much work as he could squeeze in, vodka, and constant thoughts of Yao. For five months, this was his life. Then, a miracle happened.

It started out like a regular work day. He diagnosed a young man with anorexia nervosa and instructed the nurses to stabilize him. He was just checking over the charts when the family of the young man ran into the room.

"Kiku!" the eldest called. Ivan nearly dropped his papers he new that voice.

He watched them all run past him, crowding the bed and shielding the patient from Ivan's view. Ivan found his eye drawn to the slender man with long, silky, ink-black hair and ivory skin. The scent that had teased Ivan since he was fourteen wafted up and hit his nose, making his head swim in memories. Yao hadn't changed in all of the eleven years that they had been apart. His skin was still pulled tight against his flesh, and wrinkles seemed to be a foreign concept to him. He looked a little smaller to Ivan, but that was probably because Ivan had grown quiet a bit since they had met. He listened to the jumble of shouts the family cried, attempting to reach the comatose young man on the bed.

"He can't hear you." Ivan said, silencing the cries of the family. Yao turned to look up at Ivan, eyes widening. Ivan smiled down at him, "He's still unconscious, but he'll probably be awake in a few hours."

Yao looked like he had no idea what to say, "Uh, yes, thank you aru."

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" one of the two girls asked.

Ivan's smile became sad. He usually didn't care about giving bad news, but this person, Kiku Honda, was obviously important to Yao, and it would hurt him when he learned what was wrong with Kiku, "Ah, I'll tell you when Mr. Honda wakes up, so you can all handle it together."

"Thank you aru." Yao said, looking up into Ivan's eyes and telling him that he remembered Ivan just as much as Ivan remembered him.

Ivan reached out and gently caressed Yao's arm, "I'd very much like to talk to you later, if that's all right with you."

"That would be fine aru." Yao said, keeping his eyes on Ivan's.

Ivan smiled at him and left the room. He made it all the way to the employee lounge before collapsing into a chair. Yao. His precious Yao. He placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart palpitating from inside his ribs, as though trying to burst through it's cage and soar. At that moment, Tino walked into the room, speaking Swedish into his phone. He hung up and walked over to the coffee pot. He glanced at Ivan and stopped.

"Why is your face so red Dr. Braginski?" he asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"I have met the love of my life for the second time." Ivan said.

Tino nodded and sat down next to him, "Want to tell me about it?"

Ivan sighed and leaned back into the lumpy couch, "I never thought I would see him again. In all of the eleven years, I always tried to find him, and now he's come to me. It must be a miracle."

"Maybe it is and maybe it isn't. What you need to decide now, is what you're going to do now that you found him again." Tino said.

Ivan looked over at him. Tino smiled and took a sip of his coffee. They stayed that way for a moment before Tino stood up, "Well, I have to go. If you need to talk to me, don't be afraid to say so." he said cheerily before leaving the room.

Ivan waited for a few minutes. Then he called the nurses and asked to be alerted when Kiku Honda woke up. He was going to find a way back into Yao's life, even if he had to force his way in.

Three hours later, Ivan was back in the room where his love and his family were waiting to be told their brothers condition. He scanned their faces, silently differentiating one from another. There were two who looked exactly the same, identical twins. There was a tall one with narrow eyes and glasses. There were two girls, one with her hair in a pony tail, and a smaller one dressed in pink. There was a young boy with thicker eyebrows than the rest of the others. There was the tiny one with anorexia on the bed. And finally there was Yao. Ivan took a deep breath before giving the diagnosis.

"Mr. Honda has Anorexia Nervosa." he said, waiting for the family to crack down on him.

Sure enough, the family threw themselves into an angry fit, lashing out at Ivan with their tongues. The older girl with her hair in a pony tail turned to Kiku and asked him a question. When he broke down in tears, Yao scooped him up into his arms.

"Last night Kiku's system finally shut down. If you hadn't brought him to the hospital when you did, he probably would have died." Ivan went on to explain.

"How do you treat it?" one of the twins asked.

"We'll basically pump the necessary nutrients into his body via IV while our phycologist staff works through the phycological aspect of the problem. Once his body is stable, he can go home, but he'll need to be monitored and have to have regular checkups with a therapist and a doctor. I'll also prescribe a diet that you'll have to make sure he follows." Ivan explained.

Yao nodded, "Thank you Dr. Braginski aru."

"It was my pleasure Mr. Wang." Ivan said.

As the days and weeks progressed, Ivan personally oversaw the treatment. Many of the people on staff with him were very surprised, seeing as he usually let the nurses take care of everything. Yao skirted around his attempts to engage the smaller man in a long conversation. Yao asked him questions pertaining to Kiku, and nothing else. Ivan understood. Kiku needed Yao right now, more than Ivan needed him. Still, Ivan was beginning to become impatient. He brought Tino in to be Kiku's psychiatrist, knowing that the little Finnish man was the best 'mind doctor' they had.

Finally, Ivan could no longer take it and went to Yao one night after Kiku had gone home.

He knocked on the door and waited for someone to open it. He was pleasantly surprised to see Yao behind the door.

"Dr. Braginski." Yao breathed, "What are you doing here aru?"

Ivan smiled, "I'm off of work now, da? Would you please call me by my name Yao?"

After some convincing, Yao agreed to take a walk with him. Ivan longed to take Yao's delicate hand in his again, like that night so many years ago. He doesn't touch Yao though, only watches him out of the corner of his eye.

"I've thought about you a lot you know." Ivan said, breaking the silence that had settled over them.

"I've thought about you too aru." Yao replied softly. God, he was so cute.

"I'd very much like to go out with Yao again." Ivan said smiling at Yao.

Yao blushed cutely, "I-I don't have time for romance right now aru. Kiku needs my full attention aru."

Ivan smiled wider, "Yes, of course."

Yao nodded, "I'm glad you under-"

"So we will go out after Kiku is better then, da?" Ivan interrupted, enjoying the exasperated look on Yao's face.

"Don't you have a lover of something?" Yao asked. Ivan started, tilting his head to one side in question.

"Eh? How did you come up with that?" he asked, hoping Yao wouldn't be mad at him.

Yao pointed to his left hand, "You have a tan line around you're ring finger aru, meaning you have a fiance or a wife aru."

Ivan looked down at his hand. The small tan line was barely noticeable, but Ivan knew it was there. He thought of Toris and how he had left him, "This is from my ex-fiance." he said quietly.

Yao blushed in embarrassment, "Oh, I'm sorry aru."

Ivan managed to smile at him, "Don't be, it was my fault anyway, da?" he said while rubbing the whitish band where he had worn the proof of his love for Toris, "I could not control myself around him and ended up driving him away." he looked up at Yao and smiled again, "But don't worry, I've learned my lesson, da?" he walked slowly up to Yao and ran the back of his hand down the side of Yao's face, drinking in the feeling of the smooth skin greedily, "I would never hurt you." he whispered.

Yao shivered and roved his eyes over Ivan. Ivan's heart thudded in his chest as Yao 'checked him out'.

"I'm old Ivan aru." Yao said quietly.

Ivan smiled, "You're not old Yao. Mid twenties is very young, da?" he said. Yao couldn't have been to much older that he was.

Yao rolled his eyes, "I'm thirty-one aru." he proclaimed.

Ivan was very surprised. Yao was in his thirties? He didn't look it at all, "Eh? Really? But you look so beautiful."

Yao blushed a little, "Uh, thank you aru."

Ivan smiled again, "It doesn't matter how old you are, I still love you." he said truthfully. It didn't matter that they barely knew each other, he just knew.

Predictably, Yao jumped back, "L-love? But we barely know each other aru!"

Ivan only smiled wider, "I don't care, I still love you."

"D-don't say such things aru!" Yao said, turning his back on Ivan.

Ivan giggled and wrapped his arms around Yao from behind, "Are you embarrassed Yao-Yao?" he sang cheerily.

Yao tried to squirm away from Ivan, "Don't call me that aru!" he cried.

Ivan laughed and rested his forehead on Yao's shoulder, "Yao, I love you. I have ever since that night."

Yao froze, blushing from his toes to his hairline, "How can you say that aru? You were going to be married aru."

So Yao was mad at him,"I thought I could quench the thirst for you, but it didn't work. Only my precious Yao can satisfy me." he said, nuzzling his nose to the back of the perfect neck.

Yao shivered, "S-satisfy?" he nearly squeaked.

Ivan giggled, "Don't worry, I won't force you. We can get to that after we start going out."

Yao pouted cutely, "Pervert aru."

Ivan only giggled again, "You make me that way."

An annoying beeping filled the calm air. Ivan cursed in his head and pulled out the offending contraption that had dared to interrupt his time with Yao. The little pager flashed the number of the hospital proudly, oblivious of the danger it was in.

"Ah, I am needed at the hospital." he said, trying not to sound too upset.

"Go aru. You have lives to save aru."

Ivan smiled at the angel in front of him, "When Kiku gets better, we will go out, da?"

Yao looked like he was contemplating it for a moment, then he smiled and nodded, "Yes, we will go out aru."

Ivan felt his heart leap into an aerobics drill, like that night eleven years ago, "Good." he said.

Before he could even rationalize his thoughts, he leaned down and kissed Yao. It felt so good, just like he remembered, so much better than Toris's shy pecks. He pulled away after a moment and leaned forward to Yao's ear.

"My Angel, I told you that I would find you again. And now I have." he whispered in Russian before turning and walking away.

That night, Ivan laid awake, staring at the ceiling and fantasizing about his life now that Yao was in it. For once, he was not drowning himself in a bottle of vodka, preferring to keep his mind clear so he could picture Yao in his head.

Over the next few weeks, Ivan regularly called Yao, asking for a date. Yao turned him down for the most part, but after a while of enduring Ivan's constant calling, he finally agreed to go out on a date. They went to a nice Chinese restaurant, not too fancy, due to Yao's frugal habits.

After tree weeks of them dating, they started going on non-fancy dates. Walks in the parks, and just chatting in a small cafe, instead of expensive dinners. They were walking through a mall one afternoon when something caught Yao's eyes.

Ivan peered over at his boyfriend. He followed his gaze and saw a beautiful red and gold changshan in the window of a specialty shop. It was small sized, probably the perfect size for Yao. Ivan smiled, he could afford it.

"Come on Yao-Yao." he said, tugging Yao into the store, "Let's go in here."

"I thought we were going to the book store aru." Yao said, not really protesting.

"We'll get there, da? We'll just make a quick stop." Ivan said.

They walked up to the young girl at the till, "Can we see that changshan in the window?" Ivan asked.

The girl smiled and went to get it for them, "You don't have to do this Ivan aru." Yao said.

"I want to, da? Plus, it'll look nice on Yao." Ivan said, smiling.

The girl brought it back for them and directed them to the changing rooms. Ivan pushed Yao in and waited outside. After a moment, Yao walked out. Ivan turned and lost his breath at the sight.

Yao looked like an ancient Chinese emperor. The gold trim on the silky garment accented his eyes, making them stand out even more. The red looked so good against the pale skin, making the pink flush in Yao cheeks stand out. He looked so beautiful.

"Let me buy it for you Yao." Ivan said.

Yao flushed, "Ivan, it's over a hundred dollars aru. It much too much."

Ivan shook his head, "I want to Yao."

"I'll never be able to pay it back aru." Yao insisted.

Ivan wrapped his arms around the beautiful man, "It's a gift, you don't have to pay me back, da? In fact, I forbid it."

Yao looked a little upset, "I don't want to burden you aru." he said quietly."

Ivan leaned down and quickly kissed him, "I would feel upset if Yao did not accept my gift."

In the end, Ivan got the changshan for Yao, under the promise that he wouldn't get his a birthday present.

Two months and a week later, Yao was in his home for the first time. He was wearing the beautiful changshan. Yao looked around in wonderment. Ah the benefits of being a wealthy doctor.

"It's really big aru." Yao said, "You live here alone aru?"

Ivan nodded, "My ex lived here with me for a while with his two brothers, but he left."

Yao smiled at Ivan, "Well, it must have been very lively aru."

"Actually, they were all very quiet, like little mice." Ivan said, watching Yao turn to hang up his coat.

Unable to contain himself any longer, he wrapped his arms around the small Chinese man.

Yao jumped, "Ah! Ivan, what are you doing aru?" he said, wriggling in the monster grip.

"Yao-Yao is finally in my home. I cannot hold back any longer, da?" Ivan said huskily into Yao's ear. He felt Yao stiffen as he pushed a hand up his shirt and over smooth flesh.

"B-but we-mph!" Yao tried. Ivan leaned over and kissed him solidly on the mouth, silencing his protests.

Yao whimpered, trying to get Ivan to stop for another moment before relaxing. Ivan pulled away and nuzzled Yao's neck.

"Come Yao. Let's play 'doctor'." he said.

Ivan felt arms wrap around his shoulders, "That was a lame joke aru."

Ivan giggled and hoisted Yao into his arms, bridal style. He heard Yao grumble something about being treated like a woman, but didn't hear any other protests.

That was as good as a 'yes' for Ivan.

Yao sighed as Ivan laid him gently on the bed. He stepped back to look at his beautiful Asian angel. The changshan and silk sheets made him look like an ancient Chinese deity. Noble, beautiful, strong; Ivan felt himself rising in his pants just looking at him. He watched Yao's face flush with colour.

"Are you going to stare at me the whole time or do something aru?" Yao said, shifting on the bed.

Snapping out of his trance, Ivan leapt onto the bed, careful not to hurt Yao. This time he had to extra gentle. He would die if Yao left him as well.

"So how does Yao-Yao like it? Rough? Gentle? BDSM?" Ivan giggled, mostly for show. Of course he was going to be gentle.

Unless Yao actually liked it rough.

Yao blushed and looked away, "L-let's start with gentle aru."

"As you wish." Ivan giggled.

Ivan lowered his lips to Yao's neck, kissing the pale skin he found there. Yao whimpered, squirming under the sensation. Ivan licked and sucked the supple skin, relishing the sounds that escaped Yao. Wanting to mark the man as his own, Ivan bit into the skin.

"Ah! What the hell was that aru!?" Yao cried, wiggling away from the larger man.

"A bite." Ivan giggled. He licked the now inflamed area, soothing it.

Yao moaned, "I thought we were being gentle aru?"

Ivan giggled, "This is gentle."

A shiver went through Yao. Ivan continued to lay attention the coulomb of ivory skin. He brought his hands up to unclasp the front of the silk shirt, one to rid Yao of the garment and the other to roam over smooth, newly exposed skin. Yao moaned when Ivan's hand found a dusky nipple.

"You like that?" Ivan whispered huskily into his ear.

Ivan finished unbuttoning the shirt and brought his other hand up to Yao's other nipple. Yao's face became flush with colour.

"Ah." he moaned.

"Goodness Yao-yao. So sensitive. Are you a virgin?" Ivan asked, licking his lips. If this was Yao's first he would be so thrilled.

Yao pouted, "No aru."

"Oh?" Ivan titled his head, giving the pert buds a squeeze, "Are you sure?"

Yao whimpered, "Y-yes aru!"

Damn.

Ivan pouted, "Hm, too bad. I would have liked to be your first."

Ivan pulled the shirt the rest of the way off. It got tangled in Yao's pony tail holder for a moment, then slid away like water. Ivan frowned at the innocent little ribbon.

"We should get rid of this, da? It might become a bother." he said, tugging the red ribbon out of Yao's hair.

Ivan watched as Yao's silky hair fanned out over his shoulders. Yao followed his hand as he took away the red silk, "Be careful with that ribbon aru. It was a gift from Kiku."

Ivan smiled down at Yao. He carefully placed the ribbon on the bedside table, "Then Yao must cherish it, da?"

Yao smiled and nodded, "Yes, it's very precious aru."

Ivan smiled again and leaned his head down over Yao's thin chest. He roved his tongue over pert nipples, nibbling on it and making Yao moan in pleasure.

"O~h!" Yao moaned.

Ivan grinned, "I like that sound. Let's see if I can get Yao to make it again."

Yao continued to whimper and moan as Ivan made his way downward, licking and sucking a trail down to the waistband of Yao's pants. Ivan made quick work of the pants, sliding them away so fast they almost seemed to disappear.

Yao yelped, leaping up to attempt to cover himself, "Ivan!"

"Da?" Ivan said sweetly, his childish side getting the better of him.

"What happened to my pants aru!?" Yao cried, pulling his legs up.

Ivan grabbed the pale thighs and laid them down flat, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Yao glared, "What did you do with them aru?"

Ivan pouted, "But Yao-Yao, they were in my way. If something stands between you and what you want, you remove it, da?"

Yao squirmed, "I suppose aru." he said lowly.

Ivan smiled, "I knew Yao-Yao would see it my way!" he cheered.

Yao grumbled. Ivan smiled again and put his head between Yao's legs. He looked at the straining member in front of him and smiled. Yao looked so delicious.

"Iv-Ah~n!" Yao cried as Ivan took him into his mouth.

Ivan smirked around Yao's rapidly hardening member. When he pulled away and licked the tip of the quivering organ, Yao whimpered, trying to thrust up into that teasing mouth, but Ivan held him down easily.

"Please Ivan aru." Yao panted, trying to find his release.

Who was Ivan to deny his lover's sweet request? Ivan smiled and began sucking on the hard cock again, tasting Yao's sweet nectar. Ivan sunk down, taking all of Yao's length at once.

"I-I'm g-gonna . . ." Yao gasped.

"Ah ah a~h!" Ivan sang, pulling away and gripping the base of the straining organ.

Yao whined, "Please . . . _Vanya_." he said breathlessly.

Using the diminutive form of his name like that should be cheating. Ivan shivered and pulled back. He pulled his clothing away, sighing when he freed his cock from the tight confines of his underwear. He gently laid himself over Yao, shuddering when he felt the wonderful skin-on-skin feeling.

"Yao." Ivan sighed, wrapping his arms around Yao's waist.

"Ivan." Yao answered breathlessly, looping his arms around Ivan's strong shoulders.

Ivan shuddered. This was pure bliss. He reached over to the bedside table and rummaged around in the drawer. He pulled out a small bottle of his favourite lube (because it was vanilla scented) and coated his fingers liberally. Ivan reached down and placed his index finger at Yao entrance.

"This will feel a little strange." Ivan warned. He slowly pressed his finger in.

Yao tensed around his finger for a minute, but then he relaxed. Ivan slowly added the second finger, scissoring and stretching the tight hole. He brought his other hand up and stroked Yao's erection in an attempt to distract him. Yao hissed in pain when Ivan added the third finger.

Yao whimpered, "Please Ivan. I need you in me aru. Now."

Ivan furrowed his eyebrows, "But Yao-Yao, I could hurt you." Ivan insisted. The last thing he wanted was to harm Yao in any way.

Yao thrashed his head from side to side, "Ivan please!" he cried, "I need it aru. Please."

Ivan hesitated for another moment before removing his fingers. He didn't want to hurt Yao, but at the same time he couldn't deny Yao anything. Ivan slicked up his own, unattended member and aligned his hips with Yao's.

"Are you sure?" he asked, "This is your last chance to back out."

Yao nodded, giving him a half lidded look that was oh-so-sexy. Ivan ran a hand through the silky hair, a comforting gesture, as he pushed his hips forward. He groaned. Yao was so tight. It was hard to believe that Yao wasn't a virgin. Just to tease, Ivan stopped halfway in.

"No." Yao whined, "I want all of you."

Ivan smirked, "As you wish." he said, then he slammed the rest of the way in.

Yao screamed, arching his back up off of the bed and pressing himself against Ivan's chest. Ivan didn't move a muscle, knowing if he gave the slightest twitch he wouldn't be able to control himself.

"I-van." Yao panted, "P-please m-mov-ve ar-ru."

Ivan groaned and pulled himself out of Yao's tight heat, then slammed back in, causing the whole bed to creak. Yao cried out, begging for more, and Ivan was all to happy to oblige.

Grabbing Yao's pale thighs, Ivan lifted them over his shoulder's, driving deeper into Yao's heat.

"Harder!" Yao cried, gripping Ivan's thick biceps as he's pounded into the mattress.

Ivan smirked and leaned forward, changing the angle of his thrusts. Ivan groaned as he felt Yao squeeze around him. He must have hit his prostate.

"I-I'm gonna come aru!" Yao screamed.

Ivan leaned forward, bending Yao in half and whispered into a delicate ear, "Then come." he breathed huskily, licking the pale ear.

Yao arched his back and did just that, spilling his white cream all over Ivan's and his own chest. Ivan thrusted once more and filled Yao will his own seed.

They came down from their highs slowly, reentering the world of reality satisfied and tired. Yao sighed as Ivan gently settled his weight over him. Yao reached up and pulled his lover into an embrace.

"I love you aru." Yao said in Chinese. Ivan sat up and smiled.

"I love you too." he said in slightly accented Chinese. Yao blushed.

"That's not fair aru! You weren't supposed to know what I said aru!" he cried, thrashing his limbs out.

Ivan laughed, grabbing hold of Yao's wrist, "A doctor must learn other languages if he want's to be successful, da? Chinese was the first language I learned." he said, stating a half-truth. He had learned Chinese first, but only to impress Yao if he ever managed to find him again.

Yao blushed and pouted, "You could have told me aru." he mumbled.

Ivan smirked, "Yao-Yao should not make such a cute face." he said, swiping a finger through the sticky cream on Yao chest, "I might not be able to contain myself if he does." he brought the finger to his lips and licked Yao's seed from it, all the while not tearing his heated gaze from Yao's.

Yao only managed to shiver as Ivan descended on him again.

That was their first night together. Many nights similar to that followed in the years that they dated.

Three years after Yao reentered his life, Ivan stopped at the same jewelry store he had bought Toris's ring at.

"Thank you for coming for a walk with me Yao-Yao." Ivan said cheerily.

Yao smiled up at him, "It's really my pleasure aru." he said.

Ivan stopped and pulled Yao into a hug, "I have something very important to ask Yao."

Yao looked up at him curiously, "What is it aru?"

Ivan smiled. He let go of Yao and dropped down onto one knee in front of him. Yao gasped, bringing a hand up to his mouth. Ivan took out a small white box and clasped Yao's left hand.

"Wang Yao. Will you marry me?" he asked, staring up into those beautiful eyes, even as they filled with tears of joy.

"Yes! Yes of course I'll marry you aru!" Yao said.

Ivan smiled so hard he thought his face might break. He slid the ring, a simple silver band with a single diamond, onto Yao's delicate finger. He stood up from the ground and kissed the love of his life. If he were ever to remember one thing about his life, it would be this exact moment.

**Author Commentary:** And it's done! Aw, Yao and Ivan get a happy ending! I was going to put Toris in at the end, but I'll save that for Toris's Story. Hope you enjoyed!

PS; the ring that looks like a blooming flower actually exists. My old piano teacher showed it to me.


	4. Perfect

**Author Commentary:** I'm procrastinating for my other story. Ugh . . . I just have no ideas right now. Here's Tino's story because he was in both of the last two 'chapters'.

**Character:** Finland

**Rating:** M

**Warnings:** Yaoi, Angst, Dark themes, Some sexual relations/references.

**Disclaimer:** Does the term FANfiction not do anything for you people?

Tino Vainamoinen had started life as a normal child in northern Finland. He saw his cousins in Norway regularly and got along well with them. He was raised in a Christian neighborhood as an only child by two loving parents. He got good marks in school and was a nice, likable person. Almost perfect, his parents said.

Well, that was before Tino discovered he was not like all of the other boys around him at all.

Tino first noticed it when he began looking at his good friend, Eduard Von Bock, who was from Estonia and a few years younger than him, differently. He kept on thinking of him as 'cute' and stared at him when they were in the locker rooms together. He was not just interested in his friend either; other boys around Tino began to interest Tino. Tino was beginning to questions his identity as a 'normal' boy.

"Eduard." Tino asked one day while they did their homework together, "Do you ever stare at other guys?"

Eduard looked shocked, "What brought this on?" he asked.

Tino shifted uncomfortably, "Well I . . . I've sort of . . . You know how other guys at school talk about how they like to look at girls?"

Eduard nodded, leaning forward so they could talk quieter and still hear each other, not that they needed to in the back corner of the library.

"I've sort of . . . been staring at guys like the way they describe." Tino admitted, face flushing.

Eduard coloured as well, "D-do you think you're . . . gay?" he asked.

Tino bit his lip, "I don't know. Maybe. It's all so confusing."

Eduard took a deep breath, "Well, um . . . to tell you the truth . . . I think I might be . . . also."

Tino looked up, "Really?"

"I think so. I don't know." Eduard said.

Tino looked around the deserted library. He turned back to Eduard, "Maybe we should kiss." he said quietly.

"What?!" Eduard yelled. They flinched and looked around for the grumpy old librarian who would love to kick their butts out of there, "Are you serious?" Eduard whispered.

Tino blushed, "W-well, it might help us figure ourselves out, and no one will have to know but us right?"

Eduard thought it over for a moment. He sighed and nodded, "But . . . this won't change anything between us." he said firmly.

Tino nodded. They both sat in an uncomfortable silence, waiting for the other to make the first move. Eduard shifted in his chair. Tino coughed into his hand.

"I guess . . . we should get this over with." Tino said, getting shakily up from his chair.

He walked around the table and sat down in the chair beside Eduard. He turned to face him, still blushing. Tino leaned forward slightly, trying to gauge Eduard's reaction. Eduard leaned forward slightly as well, figuring that this was a combined effort. They continued to lean towards one another, tilting their heads on instinct and how they saw in movies (they liked chick-flicks). Their lips connected and they both sighed. It felt . . . nice. Very nice. Tino shifted his legs a little. This was starting to make him feel weird . . . down their. They pulled away from each other and blushed.

"Um . . . That was . . . interesting." Tino said, willing his face not to burn off.

Eduard nodded, looking as red as Tino felt, "I'll say."

"So . . . did that answer your questions?" Tino asked.

Eduard nodded again, "Yeah. You?"

Tino let out a nervous giggle, "Yup."

Eduard smiled, "You're way to cheery for someone who just found out he likes guys."

Tino bumped his shoulder, "I could say the same for you!"

In the end, they ended up getting thrown out of the library for laughing too loudly. They simply smiled and held hand the entire way home, just like they always did.

"Man, we really are queer, aren't we?" Tino giggled.

Eduard rolled his eyes, "We should have seen it coming."

They parted ways at the corner and made the rest of the trip home alone. Tino wondered what he was going to tell his parents. Would they reject him? He hoped not. He was their only child, they couldn't reject him, right?

As Tino approached his fifteenth birthday, he began being a little more open about his sexuality. Skinny jeans, earrings, all of the things he found attractive. He didn't go over board, like some people would, but it was enough to be obvious. Most people didn't care what he was wearing, or even find it strange. They couldn't even really tell he was gay (lot's of 'punk' boys had pierced ears and wore skinny jeans). Tino put off telling his parents though. Only himself, Eduard, and that one cute guy he'd dated for a while knew. Tino didn't really mind. He was perfectly happy with the way things were.

Then Eduard's parents died.

It was a freak accident, no one could even believe it had happened, least of all Eduard. Tino spent the last three days with Eduard before he was sent away to and orphanage in his home country.

"I'll miss you." Tino said, sitting on Eduard's bed. It was the last time they were going to see each other. Eduard was leaving early in the morning and Tino's overprotective parents weren't letting him go to the airport to see him off. He had managed to get them to allow him to see Eduard the night before.

Eduard smiled at him from his position lying down on the bed, even though his eyes were still pink from crying, "I'll miss you too. You have to promise to email me and write letters to me."

Tino nodded vigorously, "I will."

Eduard managed a laugh. They stayed that way for a while. After a moment, Tino flopped down beside Eduard on the bed.

"You're sad." he stated.

Eduard nodded, closing his eyes and snuggling up to Tino. Tino wrapped his arms around his best friend, slowly running a comforting hand through the soft blond locks as Eduard began to silently cry again. Tino leaned down and kissed his friend, attempting to sooth him. Eduard kissed back, desperate for any sort of comfort. Tino poked his tongue through his lips, like his ex boyfriend had shown him. Eduard hesitated for a moment (he'd never had a boyfriend), but parted his lips for Tino. They battled tongues for a moment, neither really 'winning', just exploring.

Things quickly escalated to the point where the two, hormonally charged teens were grinding against each other on the bed, kissing furiously. Tino straddled Eduard's waist, grinding their erections together. Eduard groaned, thrusting back up into that heated friction. Past the point of no return, Tino pulled off his shirt, exposing his pale chest to the boy underneath him. Likewise, Eduard peeled his shirt off, struggling a little since he was on his back. Stopping for a moment, Tino sat up and took off his pants and underwear. Eduard blushed.

"Sh-should we really be doing this?" he asked, not tearing his eyes away from Tino's body.

"We can stop if you want." Tino said, even though he really, really wanted to keep going (it felt so amazing).

Eduard hesitated for a long moment before shaking his head, "We should finish what we started." he said.

Eduard reached down and slipped off his pyjama pants and boxers, raising his hips a bit to do so. Tino helped him kick away the garments before settling back down on Eduard's hips. They both groaned.

"Oh wow." Tino moaned, "This feels so good."

Eduard panted, "Yeah."

They started grinding again, their hardened dicks rubbing sensuously against one another. Tino moaned and sighed above his friend, grinding himself down hard, while Eduard groaned and thrusted upwards. Wrapping a hand around their members, Eduard began to pump.

"A~h." Tino whined breathlessly, "That feels good."

Tino bent down and wrapped his arms around Eduard's shoulders, kissing him on the mouth. Their tongues battled sloppily, getting each other slightly wet with saliva, but not caring in the slightest.

"T-Tino." Eduard panted, "I th-think I'm gonna - Ugh!" he said just as he came, grinding hard against Tino.

Tino cried out, thrusting once more before reaching his own end, coming all over Eduard's chest and mingling sweat and sticky semen. Tino rolled to the side and came down from his high.

"One hell of a going away present." Eduard muttered. Tino giggled and propped himself up on his elbows.

"You liked it." he sang.

Eduard laughed, "You liked molesting poor innocent me. You cradle robber." Eduard said, referring to the fact that Tino was a few years older.

Tino and Eduard laughed for a good minute. They slowly came down from their high and simply rested in each other's arms.

"Let's go take a shower." Eduard said.

They spent that night mostly naked, relaying and laughing about the good times of their life together. They dressed themselves just as Tino's parents drove up the driveway. They kissed one last time before opening the door and parting. Tino looked back at the lonely figure in the doorway and waved. He watched the house shrink behind him until it faded from view. The next morning, Eduard was gone.

Tino cried for the whole day. His parents let him stay home, knowing how important the other boy was to Tino. Tino felt bad for worrying them, so he went to school the next day, squashing the sick feeling in his stomach so his parents wouldn't worry. He went about the rest of his school career as a good student. He volunteered to help out with some things, always the one to take care of people, but otherwise didn't stand out too much.

Three weeks after his graduation, Tino decided to come out to his parents. His first thought that his parents wouldn't reject him turned out to be sorely wrong.

"You're what!?" his father yelled.

"I-I'm gay." Tino repeated, startled by his parents reaction.

His father smashed his coffee cup to the floor. His mother stared at Tino in horror.

"Tino sweetie." she said, visibly shaking, "Are you sure this isn't just a . . . phase or something to get attention?"

Tino shook his head, "No Mom, I've known who I was since I was fourteen. I've even had a boyfriend."

His father growled and stood up. He reached over the table and grabbed Tino's arm painfully, "You listen here. You're going to stop this nonsense and ask the Lord to forgive you for this lie."

Tino tried to struggle out of the painful grip, "Dad, you're hurting me."

His father growled again and shook him. Tino hissed as he felt his skin bruise painfully.

"You stop it now! Stop it right now!" his father shouted at him, still roughly shaking him.

"I can't! This is who I am!" Tino cried.

Growling, Tino's father dragged Tino up to his room and shoved him in. He took off his belt and proceeded to whip Tino with it.

"This'll teach you!" he shouted, "You are going to go to school and get married and have kids! You hear me!? You're going to live a good Christian life!"

That night Tino laid there crying. His whole body hurt and his chest felt heavy. Hie parents rejected him? Why? He was perfectly fine. So he liked guys, big deal. If he were a girl and liked guys they wouldn't care. Tino shakily got up from the bed and began to pack, trying to stifle his sniffles and hiccups while he put all of his valuables into his bag. When he was finished packing all the things he would need (money, toiletries [he had to sneak to the bathroom for these], clothing, other miscellaneous items that were important to him), he opened the window and jumped down, landing on the ground expertly (he'd snuck out before). He quietly ran out into the street and made his way into the city an out of the stifling neighborhood that made children afraid to be anything but 'normal' (whatever the hell that was).

Once he was out into the still active streets of the city, Tino wondered what he was going to do next. He had some money, but not enough to really get him anywhere. He could get a job, but who would hire a kid like him? Should he go to the police and tell them what happened with his parents? No, no matter what they had done to him, they were still Tino's parents.

Tino wandered aimlessly for a while, eventually ending up in a 'bad' part of town. A young woman came up to him and smiled at him.

"Hey cutie, looking for some fun?" she asked, leaning forward and giving Tino a nice view of down her shirt.

A prostitute.

"N-no thank you. I'm not interested in women." he said quietly.

The lady immediately backed up, "Oh sorry." she said, "If you're looking for the boys, they're just down the street."

Tino shook his head, blushing, "I'm not looking for anyone!" he said, "I'm just . . . I . . . I don't know what I'm doing."

The woman looked at him sympathetically, "You a runaway?" she asked.

Tino nodded, "My parents . . . didn't really react well."

The lady nodded in understanding, "So what are you going to do now?"

Tino shrugged, "I don't know."

"Why don't you join me here?" she said, smiling.

Tino nearly leapt a meter into the air, "I could never be a-a-a prostitute!" he cried, then realized who he was talking to, "N-not that there's anything wrong with it."

The lady laughed, "So what else are you going to do?"

Tino looked around. There was a man sleeping on a bench, another woman dressed in scandalous clothing down the street, and a lot of grunge. Tino considered his options and sighed.

"What are you're conditions?" he asked, shivering at the thought of what he was getting himself into.

The lady smiled and took his hand, leading him deeper into the slums of the city.

The woman, 'Sugar', as she liked to be called, started to teach him the 'tricks of the trade'. She taught him how to dress, act, and 'perform' properly. In return she asked for 30% of his earnings. Many times Tino tried to back out.

"I can't do this." Tino said, putting his head in his hands.

Sugar laughed, then looked at him with a steely glare, "You've got no money, no job, no family to run to, no skills, nothing. This is the best place for you."

"I . . ." Tino started.

"Believe me kid." she said.

And slowly, Tino did.

Tino continued to work on the streets, servicing perverts who approached him. He lost count of how many people he ended up having sexual encounters with. Much of his pay went to Sugar, since she had taught him everything. He was returning to the cheap apartment where he and Sugar stayed when he heard laughter.

"_Must be Sugar and her friends."_ he thought. He was about to pass the door when he heard the most interesting of conversation topics.

"So who's the kid that's been staying with you?" one of the girls asked.

Sugar laughed, "Just some kid. He makes good money though."

There was a round of laughter and Tino slumped to the floor outside the room. So that was what he was? A cash-cow? Tino wiped the tears from his eyes and went to his room. He gathered all of his things and left the house, never once looking back. He started living in cheap (really cheap) hotels and rooms paid for by his customers. He tried to get a better job, but no one wanted to hire him. No one wanted him. He was alone. No one loved him anymore.

One evening, Tino found himself on a bridge.

"Just jump and get it over with." he muttered to himself.

Tino looked down into the dark waters and shivered. He told himself to jump, but his body (the traitor), refused to let him fall. He finally steeled himself and leaned forward.

Only to be yanked back into a pair of strong arms.

Tino staggered, startled. What the? Someone saved him? Tino stayed motionless for a moment, trying to figure out what had just happened when a voice pierced his thoughts.

"Ya 'kay?" the person mumbled, the deep voice proving that the person was male.

Tino looked up, getting a look at his savior for the first time. He nearly leapt out of his skin when he looked into piercing green eyes that looked like the eyes of some monster from a fairy tale. Tino yelped and pushed away from the person. He stumbled backward, looking at the full view of the man.

He was tall and lanky, with a lean, muscular, build. He was dressed in dark, but nice clothing. His blonde hair was lightly spiky, but not overboard. His mumbling speech made him difficult to understand, and he had a slight accent, but you could get the gist of what he was saying. He had a handsome face, and looked rather young. But his eye made him look scary.

Very scary.

"W-what do you want?" he asked, shaking under the intense gaze.

"D'n't j'mp." the tall man said, reaching out to him.

Tino took a step back and the man dropped his hand, "D'n't j'mp." he said again.

"W-why?" Tino said shakily.

"J'st d'n't." the man said again.

"I have no reason to live." Tino said bitterly.

"Th't's n' r's'n t' k'll yerself." the man said, like he knew!

"And why shouldn't I?!" Tino shouted, "My parents hate me, no one cares about me, people just want to use me! I'm worthless!"

"I care." the stranger said.

Tino looked at him strangely, "We just met."

"I alw'y's st'p 'n t' h'lp wh'n 't's needed." he mumbled.

Tino looked at the man. He really did look like he was just trying to help. What person wouldn't pull a person off of the railing when they were about to jump off of it? But what could he gain from saving a male prostitute from impending doom?

Tino sighed, "What do you want?" he asked.

"W'nt?" the man looked confused.

"What possible gain could you have for saving me other than to accomplish your own ends?" Tino asked. He'd been stabbed in the back too many times to trust anyone.

The man shook his head, "I d'n't w'nt an'th'ng. J'st ya t' be s'fe."

Tino growled, "Well, I don't need it." he said, turning on his heel and walking away. Or he would have if the motion hadn't made him dizzy. He stumbled a moment, nearly falling forward before the stranger caught him.

"Yer freez'n." he said, feeling Tino's cold, exposed shoulder.

"I'll be fine." Tino protested. He hadn't thought that he was going to be out for very long, so he hadn't grabbed his coat, even though it was December.

The stranger said nothing. After a moment, Tino felt a heavy weight drop onto his shoulder. He looked up, snapping out of his fuzzy daze, and saw that the man had given him his coat, leaving him in a thin black dress shirt.

"You don't have to give me your coat, I'm fine." Tino said, starting to take off the jacket. The stranger shook his head and wrapped Tino up again, fastening the buttons.

"C'me h'me w'th m'." he said, looking down into Tino's eyes.

Tino yelped and tried to push away, but found he couldn't due to the fact that his arms were trapped inside the large coat, "I don't even know you!"

"'m st'y'ng 'n a h't'l. Th're 're oth'r p''ple 'n th' b'ld'ng, s' I w'n't d' 'nyth'ng." he said, rubbing Tino's shoulder comfortingly, or it would have been had he not been so scary.

Tino looked up into the shadowed face, shivering even though the coat was now keeping him warm. He could just do it now, fling himself off of the bridge before the tall stranger could do anything. However, his legs wouldn't move. He let the man try to comfort him even though he wanted to run away. He wanted to go home, to go back. He wanted his old life, the one where he didn't need to bend over for money. The one where people were honest with him. The one where things were almost perfect. Unable to take it any longer, Tino started to cry.

The stranger looked startled for a moment before hesitantly wrapping his arms around Tino. Tino ignored his impulse to run and simply sobbed into the broad chest of the man who had saved his unworthy life.

The next morning, Tino woke in the softest bed he had ever felt. He opened his eyes and saw soft blue sheets in front of him. He didn't recognize the place at all. He sat up and looked around him. He was in a lavish room with blue and brown furniture. He shivered when he felt his shoulder come in contact with cold air. He realized with a sudden start that he was wearing a shirt that was way too huge on him and his underwear. He blushed. Had the stranger . . . undressed him? He shivered at the thought of that scary man seeing him in only his underwear.

He sighed and stood up from the king sized bed. He walked out of the room and into the rest of the suite. It was huge, like nothing Tino had ever stayed in, even with his customers. It screamed money, from the beautiful paintings to the comfortable furniture. Tino wandered around for a moment before smelling something delicious cooking in what was presumably the kitchen.

Tino entered the kitchen to find the tall stranger standing overtop the stove, watching some eggs fry. Tino watched him for a moment before he turned and spotted him. Tino stood, rooted to the spot.

"Ya 'kay?" he asked.

"Y-yeah." Tino said, _"Oh god, what have I gotten myself into?"_

The man stared at him for another moment before turning back to the stove. Tino breathed a sigh of relief.

"M' n'me's Berw'ld Ox'nst'ern'a." the stranger said.

Tino took a moment to work out what he said, "Uh, I'm Tino Vainamoinen."

Berwald turned back to Tino and offered a small smile, which made his face a lot less scary. Tino hesitantly smiled back, unsure of how to act around this stranger.

Berwald flipped the eggs onto a plate and handed it to Tino. Tino took it and sat down, moving to sit up again when he realized he didn't have a fork. He stopped when Berwald handed one to him. Tino started to eat as Berwald sat across from him, watching him intently.

"Why d'd ya try t' k'll yers'lf?" Berwald asked once Tino was finished eating.

Tino looked up, startled, then looked away in embarrassment.

"I w'n't l'ugh." Berwald said, trying to look honest.

Tino hesitates for another moment before he's unable to hold back his thoughts for another moment, "My parents kicked me out because I'm gay." he blurted. He blushed, why was he telling this stranger?

Berwald only nodded, not judging or pitying, just understanding. He patiently waited for Tino to continue.

Tino shifted a little under the hard gaze, "I told them I was gay, and my father beat me. I . . . I got scared and ran away. I met a woman who offered to teach me how to be a prostitute. She was a greedy backstabber though. She only used me for money." Tino said, tears coming to his eyes.

Berwald reached out, as though to touch him, but then stopped and drew his hand back, "G' on." he prompted.

Tino ended up telling Berwald everything. He broke down into tears at the end, sobbing uncontrollably. Berwald patted his shoulder and murmured comforting things (not that Tino could understand him).

"I feel so dirty." Tino sobbed into his hands.

Berwald put his arms around Tino's shoulders, a little awkwardly, as if he wasn't used to it, but Tino leaned into the touch. Berwald slowly, so Tino could push him away if he wanted to, pulled him into a hug, letting Tino clutch his nice dress shirt and stain it with tears. After a moment, he picked Tino up bridal style and carried him back to the bedroom. He carefully laid Tino down, letting him fall back into a fitful sleep.

Tino stayed with Berwald for a week, letting the tall man take care of him. He cooked, comforted Tino, and generally looked after him. Tino was grateful, but he didn't really get it. What did Berwald want? Tino didn't have any money, he didn't even have a spare set of clothing anymore (he'd left everything at the last hotel he stayed at, and when Berwald went back for it, the hotel staff told him they must have 'misplaced' the items). The only thing he had of any worth was his body, and that was just damaged goods. Tino finally got fed up with trying to figure things out and approached Berwald about the topic.

"You must want something from me." Tino insisted, standing in the middle of the living room in nothing but another shirt of Berwald's and his underwear while Berwald sat on the couch.

Berwald shook his head, "D'n't w'nt 'nyth'ng." he said.

Tino stomped his foot, "Stop lying to me! You wouldn't be doing this for me if you didn't get something out of this! What do you want?!"

Berwald stood and reached out to Tino. Tino just slapped his hand away. What did he want? He must want something. What could a prostitute have that he wanted?

Tino stopped at that thought. Of course, what did prostitutes do that made people happy? They put out. Tino sunk to his knees, he had been so stupid, not figuring it out before hand.

"I get it now." he said lowly, "So that's what you want."

Berwald hesitated a moment before walking over to Tino. Tino reached up and put his hands on his belt buckle, unfastening it. Berwald nearly leapt backward and crashed over the coffee table.

"This is what you want, right? Why else would you save someone who's only thing to give is their body?" Tino said emotionlessly.

He reached up and started to unbutton the large shirt. Berwald dropped to his knees and stopped him.

"No, I d'n't w'nt th's." he said, gripping Tino's hands in his.

"Then what do you want!" Tino cried, tears starting to fall down his cheeks.

Berwald looked pained, "I w'nt ya t' be h'ppy."

Tino tilted his head, "But you don't know me."

Berwald didn't say anything for a long moment, "C'me t' Swed'n w'th me." he said suddenly.

This time Tino leapt back, "What?!" he shrieked.

"'m g'ing h'me t' Swed'n 'n a few d'y's. C'me w'th me." Berwald said, "I promise to take care of you." he said slowly, pronouncing each word carefully.

Tino didn't know what to do. Should he trust Berwald? He had been staying with him for a week. But . . . to Sweden? Then again, what was there for him here?

"Okay." Tino whispered.

In three days, Berwald was leaving for Sweden, so Tino needed to have all of his things together by then. Berwald bought clothing for him, and they got all of his papers in order (his parents hadn't filed a missing report when he left, and he was a legal adult now). Tino refused to get anything expensive, even though Berwald told him that it was okay. He couldn't let go of the habit that he had picked up from Eduard, who was a very money efficient person. They traveled by train, in a private car. Tino, for the first time, wondered what Berwald did for a living.

"Berwald, where do you work?" he asked.

Berwald didn't look away from the window, "IKEA." he said.

"Oh? What do you do for IKEA?" Tino asked, curious now.

"D'sighn'r." Berwald answered.

Tino tilted his head, "I never would have thought."

Berwald looked over at him and smiled slightly. Tino smiled back, and the rest of the train ride was spent in a comfortable silence. Tino entertained himself with some magazines, brushing up on his Swedish, and Berwald stared out the window.

They arrived in Sweden with no difficulty. Berwald took Tino to his home in Stockholm and they ended up living together. It was a strange arrangement, Tino didn't have a job, and Berwald had to work during the day, so Tino did household chores. He kept himself occupied, but he still felt lonely. After a month of living together, Berwald brought home a fluffy white bundle.

"What the . . . ?" Tino said, staring at the creature.

"'t's a dog." Berwald said, "H'r n'me's H'na-t'mago."

"Hana-Tamago?" Tino repeated. He reached out and touched the fluffy fur of the animal. It looked at him a barked. Tino smiled, "It's kind of cute."

"She." Berwald said.

"It's a girl?" Tino asked. Berwald nodded and putt the dog down on the floor. Hana-tamago started sniffing around, getting used to her new home. Tino giggled, watching the cute dog explore. HE looked back up at Berwald, "Thank you Berwald." he said, smiling.

Berwald's eyes widened for a moment before he offered a small smile as well. Tino felt his face heat up.

"U-Um, I have to go finish the laundry." he said, turning and bolting down the hall.

"_What was that?"_ Tino thought as he slumped to the floor of the laundry room, _"What was that feeling?"_

Hana-tamago, who had followed Tino, licked his hand. Tino smiled and petted her. She barked happily and wagged her tail.

"_What's become of me?"_ Tino thought, _"I used to have such a bright future. I wanted to become a psychiatrist and help people. At what point did I stop wanting it?"_ Tino paused for a moment, _"No, I still want it. I still want to be a psychiatrist."_

Tino finished the laundry and found Berwald again. He was in his office, working on a new design. Tino tapped lightly on the door, alerting Berwald of his presence.

"Y's Tino?" he called, "Wh't d' ya w'nt?"

Tino stood their for a moment, unsure of how to word his question, "Berwald." he started, "I want to study to be a psychiatrist."

Berwald stared at his for a moment, and Tino shivered a little. That damn gaze! Berwald was a good person, but his eyes made him so scary! Berwald spoke after a moment, "'kay."

Tino shifted a little, "I'll pay you back for the schooling one day, and I'll do as much as I can around the house. So please . . . will you pay my tuition?"

Berwald nodded, not even hesitating, "'f th't's wh't ya w'nt."

It took a while to get everything finalized, but after a few weeks, Tino went to the best school in Stockholm for psychology studies. He didn't qualify for any scholarships, but he worked hard at his studies and his chores. Berwald paid for all of his things, but Tino insisted that he get the books secondhand, and not to buy expensive clothing for him. Tino forfeited making friends in favor of his studying and his new home. He didn't mind to much. It took him a while to realize the reason he was no longer a social butterfly was because of Berwald. After living with him for so long, Tino had come to think, "If I have Berwald, I don't really need anything else. I love him and that's enough." At first this scared Tino, but he eventually warmed up to the thought of being in love with Berwald. The tall Swede was a kind person, if you got past all of the scariness. He never made Tino feel unwelcome or like a burden. He was always gentle with Tino, never harsh or impatient. Tino had just graduated from his classes and was going to begin work as a psychiatrist when he finally worked up the courage to tell Berwald how he felt when he was beaten to the punch.

"I love you." Berwald pronounced the words slowly, making sure it came out clear. He was blushing furiously, right tot the tips of his ears.

"E-eh?" Tino stuttered, totally confused by what the taller man just said.

"'m 'n l've w'th ya." Berwald said again, this time mumbling, "'m s'rry, I kn'w th't ya d'nt l've m' b'ck, b't th't's h'w 't is."

"Ah!" Tino yelped, knowing he should say something. He frantically searched for words, even as Berwald stood to leave. Standing and reaching out, Tino grabbed hold of Berwald's arm, "Wait!"

Berwald looked down at Tino, shocked. Tino kept his hold on his arm, still trying to get the words out. Who knew confessing would be this difficult?

"I . . . I . . . l-lo . . . lo . . . loveyouto!" Tino shouted at the end, praying Berwald would understand him. He stood there, stock still for what felt like years before he felt warm, gentle hands on his shoulders. Tino looked up into Berwald's smiling face, no scary shadows or anything else, just a smiling Berwald.

"Th'nk ya." he said, rubbing Tino's shoulders softly. Berwald slowly wrapped his arms around Tino, pulling him into a warm embrace. Tino wrapped his arms around Berwald's strong back, savouring the protective circle it cast around him.

For a while after that, things were a little odd in the house. Berwald didn't treat him any differently than before the confession, so Tino was left in puzzlement. Berwald confessed to him, so he really meant it right? If he didn't, it was a really mean joke.

One night, the two of them were watching TV like every Saturday evening. Tino looked over at Berwald. He was wearing the sweater Tino had given him for Christmas (Tino's favourite holiday) and pair of black jeans. He looked incredibly handsome. Tino scootched over a bit, getting closer to his stotic lover. Berwald didn't even look over, to which Tino frowned. He moved over some more, until he was right next to Berwald. This time the Swede did look over. He looked concerned.

"D'd ya need s'meth'ng?" he asked, leaning forward a little.

Tino pouted a little, "Why haven't you kissed me yet?" he asked.

Berwald looked confused, but Tino kept on going, "We haven't done anything that would normally make us a couple. You don't kiss me, we don't go on dates, you've barely touched me since we confessed to each other!" Tino rambled, starting to cry.

The next thing Tino knew, he was wrapped in strong arms, "'m s'rry." berwald said, holding Tino tightly, "I j'st d'n't w'nt t' l'se c'ntr'l w'th ya."

Tino snuggled into the embrace, "Why would you lose control with me?"

Berwald didn't answer for a few moments, "I used t' . . . b' v'ry vi'l'nt. I d'n't w'nt t' g' b'ck t' th't." he whispered.

Tino pulled back and smiled, "If you don't want to go back to being violent, you don't have to. It's entirely you're choice Berwald." he said.

Berwald looked a little startled for a moment, then he smiled back, "Hm, s' th're are p'rks t' h'v'ng a ps'chi'trist b'yfr'end."

Tino giggled, "And there are no fees! So you don't have to pay me anything!"

Berwald chuckled a little to, then he leaned down so he was face to face with Tino, "I th'nk I w'nt t' p'y ya th'gh." he murmured huskily.

Tino blushed and was about to ask what exactly he meant by 'payment' when Berwald captured his lips in a soft, sweet kiss. Tino tensed for a moment in surprise, then relaxed into the kiss. As everything was with Berwald, it was gentle and patient, not pushing Tino into anything, just there. Tino kissed back, for once thanking his time as a prostitute, which gave him experience with this sort of thing. Berwald pulled away and nuzzled Tino's nose with his. He sat back into the couch, but kept an arm around Tino's small shoulders. Tino smiled and leaned his head on Berwald's shoulder. They stayed that way until they fell asleep, simply enjoying each other's presence.

"Come on Berwald, you're cousin is going to be here any minute!" Tino called, shaking Berwald's shoulder in an attempt to wake him up.

"Mmmmuuurrrrrr . . . ." Berwald groaned, rolling over.

Tino sighed. He really didn't want to do this, but there was no other way. He crawled over Berwald, straddling his waist. He wiggled around, getting comfy. He leaned over the toned, naked chest, placing his mouth on Berwald's stomach.

"PFFFFFFFFBBT!!" Tino blew on the relaxed stomach, making that loud farting noise. Berwald jerked awake, laughing lowly.

"Get up!" Tino said, bouncing on Berwald's waist, "You're cousin is going to be here soon."

Berwald smiled up at Tino, then pulled him underneath of him. Tino yelped, now trapped under the taller, stronger Swede, "Yer 'nder m' c'ntr'l n'w." Berwald said.

Tino smiled up at him, "Do you think I mind?" he said, wriggling underneath Berwald sensuously. Berwald smiled and got up off of Tino, helping him up.

"I'll go make breakfast." Tino said. Berwald nodded and gave him a quick kiss before going to the bathroom for a shower.

Tino walked down the stairs, nearly tripping over Hana-tamago in the process. The little puppy yelped, but followed Tino to the kitchen. She happy yipped at Tino's feet as he cooked breakfast and slipped her some treats. The doorbell rang just as Tino finished laying out the table. He walked over to the door, fixing his clothes as he went. Once he was at the door, he took a deep breath to collect himself. This was the first time he had met any of Berwald's family. He put on a smile and opened the door.

"Hello!" he said, "You must be Den . . . mark." he said, looking way up. The man in front of him was nearly as tall as Berwald. He had very spiky hair, blue eyes, and liked red and black, if his clothing was anything to go by.

'Denmark' smiled down at him, "Hi!" he said loudly, "You must be Tino, Waldy's new boy-toy."

Tino bristled at the description, but smiled anyway, "If that's what you want to call it."

Denmark laughed, "Ah, I'm just teasing you." he said. He seemed like the type to tease, but not really mean it.

Tino smiled, then stepped aside, "Would you like to come in?" he asked.

Denmark smiled at him and looked over his shoulder, "Just wait a sec. My bitch and his brat brother have to get out of the car."

Tino looked around Denmark's large form, seeing two smaller male's coming up the walkway. He knew those two.

"Norway! Iceland!" he called, pleasantly surprised. The other two looked up and were also surprised. They ran up the walkway and hugged Tino.

"Tino!" Iceland said, "We were so worried about you!"

"You're parents said you'd left when we called." Norway said in his light monotone.

Tino hugged them both, "Well, I did leave."

The brothers pulled back, "That doesn't sound like you." Iceland said.

Tino managed a smile, "There were . . . some problems with my parents."

Both Norway and Iceland looked worried, but Denmark cut in, "So you guy's know each other?" he asked.

"No Denmark, we're total strangers." Norway said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Tino giggled and invited them all in.

Berwald was just coming down the stairs as they all made their way into the dining room. Denmark smirked and threw his arms around Berwald's shoulders.

"Hey Waldy! You and me have some good taste!" he said. Berwald only looked confused, but Denmark laughed, "Our little boyfriends are cousins! Ain't that something?"

Berwald looked over at Tino, Norway, and Iceland. Tino nodded his head, confirming Denmark's statement. Berwald raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, choosing instead to push Denmark off of him.

The visit was a pleasant one. Everyone more or less got along, aside from the one fight between Denmark and Berwald over who had the cuter boyfriend. Tino caught up with his cousins, and told them how he was doing in turn. There was some emotional bits when Tino told them about his little jaunt on the wrong side of the tracks and his stunt on the bridge. Other than that, they had an enjoyable time, laughing and exchanging jokes. Norway and Iceland congratulated Tino on becoming a psychiatrist, and Tino congratulated Iceland on getting into the school he wanted. The three left after a week of staying. Tino waved them good bye, wishing them a safe trip. He collapsed onto the sofa, stretching his worn out muscles.

"T'red?" Berwald said from behind him.

Tino smiled up at his lover, "A bit. It's been a busy week."

Berwald say down next to Tino on the couch, "S'rry 'bout Dn'm'rk, he's s'rta a w'ld c'rd."

Tino leaned over and snuggled into Berwald's chest, "He seemed nice though."

Berwald nodded and ran a hand through Tino's soft blond hair. Tino leaned into the soothing touch, relaxing. He woke up in his bed, in only an oversized shirt and his underwear. Tino smiled, basking in the scent of his lover for a few more minutes.

The Oxenstierna-Vainamoinen household was peaceful for a while. Because of their busy schedules, they only had time for a few dates, but they made up for it by spending as much time together as possible when at home. Tino gained a respectable reputation as a psychiatrist, and Berwald stayed IKEA's top designer. They lived in their big house with their dog and each other, and that was enough for them.

One evening, Tino and Berwald were sharing a night in to relax. They both had been so busy lately that having any day off was a blessing.

Tino languidly stretch across the sofa, "Hmmm~, it's so nice to relax like this once in a while." he said, resting his head on Berwald's lap, "We should take more time off."

Berwald nodded, stroking Tino's fine hair. He was being unusually quiet tonight (not that he wasn't quiet already, he just seemed more so tonight). What was he up to? Berwald shifted, trying to get up off of the couch without disrupting Tino. Tino lifted his head to help, and soon Berwald was kneeling beside the sofa while Tino lay on his back over it. Tino raised an eyebrow, wondering what Berwald was doing.

Berwald stared at Tino for a moment, his face unreadable. After a long moment, he blurted out, "Marry me."

Tino shot up, "What!?"

Berwald was blushing a little, "Marry me." he said again.

Tino totally froze for a moment. Berwald was starting to get worried when Tino launched himself at Berwald, knocking the two of them to the floor.

"Yes!" he cried, tears of joy streaming down his face, "Yes, of course I'll marry you!"

Berwald wrapped his arms around Tino and held him, "Th'nk ya, Tino. Th'nk ya s' m'ch. I l've ya. Th'nk ya." he repeated over and over.

Tino laughed and cried at the same time. He leaned over Berwald and kissed him, ending the loop. They kissed for a while, enjoying the feeling, until Tino gently poked his tongue against Berwald's lips. Berwald opened his mouth, pressing his own tongue against Tino's and pushing it back. Berwald suddenly rolled them over, pinning Tino beneath him. They pulled back, a string of pearlescent saliva connecting their mouths for a moment. They stared at one another for a moment before Berwald wrapped his arms around Tino.

"I l've ya." he said into Tino's ear, "I l've ya s' m'ch."

Tino sighed and wrapped his arms around Berwald, "I love you too." he said.

They stayed that way for a moment before Berwald pulled back and hoisted Tino into his arms, bridal style and carried him up to his bedroom. He gently laid Tino down on the bed, making sure he was comfortable. He got on top of Tino, but didn't touch him. He searched Tino's eyes, waiting for Tino to reject him, but Tino only stared back and smiled. Tino reached up a hand and stroked Berwald's hair.

"It's okay. I want this." Tino said, guessing what Berwald wanted to do with him.

Berwald didn't move for a moment, then he slowly lowered himself so he was lying on top of Tino. Tino wrapped his arms around Berwald, rubbing his back comfortingly, "I won't break. You don't have to treat me like a glass doll." he said, trying to reassure his fiance.

Berwald kissed Tino, keeping it slow for the time being. Tino didn't rush him, knowing that Berwald was terrified of hurting Tino. He kissed back at the same pace, neither urging him to go faster or begging him to slow down. The kissed picked up pace as Berwald got more comfortable with what they were doing. Berwald slowly pushed up Tino's shirt, exposing the pale chest and pert pink nipples. Tino broke the kiss to pull the rest of the shirt off and over his head. Berwald started at him for a moment before descending on his neck, licking and kissing the skin. Tino moaned and stretched his neck out, exposing more skin to Berwald's tongue.

"Berwald." he said breathlessly, wiggling his hips a bit under Berwald's.

Berwald responded by moving his hands to Tino's nipples. Tino whimpered and arched up, trying to get closer to Berwald. Berwald trailed his mouth across Tino's collarbone and down onto his chest. He flicked his tongue over a nipple and nibbled on it lightly.

"O~o~h." Tino moaned. He reached his hands up and buried them into Berwald's spiky locks, urging him on.

Berwald growled low in his throat and moved on to the opposite nipple, lavishing the same attention to it. Tino squirmed underneath the larger Swede, whimpering and moaning, encouraging him to go faster. He hooked his hands under Berwald's shirt and lifted it up, his hands splaying across the strong back. Berwald sat up and pulled it over his head, only getting it stuck on his glasses for a moment. Tino giggled and reached up to take off the glasses. He carefully folded them and placed them on the bedside table, then wrapped his arms around Berwald's shoulders. He smiled up at his one and only love, watching Berwald smiled back down at him. They kissed again, this time sloppily because they were smiling so much. Tino started to giggle when Berwald started to run his hands over his sides. Berwald smirked and began tickling Tino, who laughed and giggled.

"S-stop it!" he laughed, attempting to squirm away from the attacking fingers.

"No." Berwald said, squeezing Tino's hips with his thighs so he couldn't run away.

They do this for a few minutes, before Tino ran out of breath and Berwald stopped to let him breath. Tino simply laid there, trying to catch his breath. He looked up at Berwald and breathed in sharply. He was so beautiful. For once he was smiling, a nice, loving smile. His hair was slightly mussed, but it looked good on him. There were no scary shadows on his face. He looked so loving and caring. Tino caressed his face with his hand.

"You're so beautiful." he said, running a thumb over the strong jaw.

Berwald's eyes widened, but he smiled again and leaned down to wrap Tino in his loving embrace once again. They hugged for a while and kissed before Berwald unfastened Tino's pants and pulled them down. Tino arched his hips up to let Berwald pull them completely away. Berwald trailed his hands up Tino's smooth legs (Tino was never very hairy), dipping his hands inward and massaging the creamy skin of Tino's inner thighs. Tino moaned, spreading his legs. Berwald hooked his fingers in Tino's boxers and slowly pulled them down. Tino moaned as his cock was exposed to the colder air. Berwald disposed of the underwear and situated himself above Tino again. Then he stopped.

"What's wrong?" Tino asked.

"Lube. W' d'n't h've any."

Tino nearly burst out laughing from the irony. He thought back to his day's in the streets, "Give me your hand." he said.

Berwald obediently held out his hand for Tino. Tino gently kissed his knuckle before taking tree fingers into his mouth, sucking lightly on the digits. He coated them with saliva and pulled them out with a light pop. Berwald looked a little shocked, but nodded and placed the first finger at Tino's entrance. Tino relaxed his body as Berwald pushed the first finger in, wiggling his hips to a more comfortable position. Berwald gently moved his finger around, trying not to hurt Tino. He slowly added another finger, scissoring them to stretch Tino. Tino groaned and bucked his hips, enjoying the feeling of having something penetrate him. It had been so long since he had enjoyed sex, in fact, the only time he ever really enjoyed sexual contact was when he had grinded against Eduard. So long ago.

Berwald added another finger, stretching Tino as much as he could. Tino whined when he brushed against his prostate. Tino bucked his hips, trying to get them deeper inside of him. Berwald scissored and stretch Tino to the point of near numbness before taking them out. He sat back and looked a little worried.

Tino propped himself up onto his elbows, "What now?"

"W'll 't h'rt 'f I t'ke ya dry?" he asked.

Tino smiled, "If you're really worried about it, I can use saliva again."

Berwald nodded, then realized _exactly_ what Tino was suggesting and blushed. Tino giggled and sat up, reaching for Berwald's pants. Berwald looked torn between stopping Tino and really, _really_ wanting it. Tino pulled Berwald's pants and underwear down, reveling in the shudder that went through the larger man. He fisted the erect cock in his hand, marveling in it's size, and gave it a tentative lick. Berwald moaned, struggling to stay still. Tino giggled and wrapped his mouth around Berwald, sucking lightly. Berwald threw back his head groaned loudly. Tino licked and sucked the stiff organ, coating it with saliva while lubricating it at the same time. He swirled his tongue around the head and licked from the base to the tip. Berwald buried his hands in Tino's hair, encouraging him to take in more. Tino relaxed his throat and took all of Berwald in. Berwald groaned, then pulled Tino's head away, panting loudly. Tino took the hint and laid back down.

"I love you." Tino said, smiling up at his lover.

Berwald smiled and positioned himself above Tino. He slowly thrusted forward, letting out a long hiss. Tino moaned, grabbing Berwald's shoulders and squeezing hard. Once fully buried in Tino's tight warmth, berwald stopped, letting Tino adjust. Tino wiggled his hips and bucked up, trying to get Berwald to move.

"I've d-done this _hah_ . . . done this before. You can _mmmm_ . . . you can move." Tino panted.

Berwald didn't say anything, only pulled back and thrusted back in slowly. Tino whimpered, bucking up to meet Berwald's slow, steady thrusts. Berwald kept the pace steady, doing his best to pleasure Tino.

"H-harder." Tino begged.

Berwald hesitated a moment, but picked up the pace nonetheless. They rocked on the bed for a while, but Tino still wasn't satisfied. He bucked his hips and wiggled around, trying to get Berwald to move faster, harder, but Berwald wouldn't go faster.

Tino grabbed Berwald's chin, forcing him to look into his eyes, "I'm n-not made of gl-glass. Y-you can d-do it h-harder than th-this."

"D'n't w'nt t' h'rt ya." Berwald groaned through gritted teeth. It was obviously killing him to keep it slow.

Tino looked up at Berwald, pleading him with his eyes. Berwald stared into them for a moment before all but slamming into Tino. Tino ached his back and cried out, bucking his hips up. Berwald continued to ram his length into Tino's tight hole. He grabbed Tino's hand and pinned it down on the bed, gripping it. Tino gripped it back just as hard, his knuckles going white. Berwald wrapped his hand around Tino's straining cock, pumping it in time with his thrusts. Tino cried out and arched his back, coming hard all over their chests and stomachs. Berwald groaned and thrusted forward one more time, spilling himself into Tino. They collapsed onto the bed, tired and spent. Tino smiled and wrapped his arms around Berwald's shoulders.

"I love you." he said, squeezing Berwald a bit.

Berwald wrapped his arms around Tino's tiny frame, "I l've ya too."

They had a small ceremony, just Tino's two cousin's and Berwald's family. Denmark ended up making a speech about how they were all so happy that 'Waldy found someone desperate enough to marry him', to which Berwald punched him in the shoulder. Norway and Iceland congratulated Tino on his success. Berwald and Tino spent their honeymoon in Finland, avoiding the darker parts of Tino's memories. Tino was happier than ever before. He had a good job, a wonderful husband, a cute dog, a comfortable home. Everything was perfect. Almost.

"S'meth'ng wr'ng?" Berwald asked, squeezing Tino's hand.

Tino watched the happy couple a few meters away from them. A husband, a wife, a dog, and a child. Tino watched the little boy for a moment then turned back to Berwald, "No, I'm fine." he said, squeezing Berwald's hand.

For the next month, Tino continued to feel lonely. He couldn't explain why he felt lonely, he had the love of his life, a job and a dog to keep him busy. He found himself paying more attention to Hana-tamago, doting on her and spoiling her a little. One day Berwald, thrust a brochure into his hands.

"An adoption agency?" Tino asked, looking at the contents of the brochure.

Berwald nodded, "Th'y al'w s'me s'x c'ples t' ad'pt." he said.

Tino started getting flustered, "Oh, uh, well, do we have enough time to look after a child? And what if the child doesn't like us? Are we ready?" he rambled, but in his heart he knew that he wanted this. He wanted a child, someone to care for and love. He looked up at Berwald and began crying, "Oh Berwald." he sobbed.

The month after, they walked into an orphanage, ready to find the child that they would take home. All of the paper work was completed, and now all they had to do was decide which child they wanted to make theirs. Tino nervously walked into a play area where all of the children were at the moment. He looked around, they were all so cute! Which one would be the one? Oh god, he was starting to panic.

Berwald placed a hand on his shoulder, steadying Tino. Tino shot him a grateful smile and looked out at the children again. Some of them came up to them, curious, and the braver ones said hello. They couple stayed for an hour, talking to each of the children. A sudden shout caught Tino's ears. A small boy, around five, had fallen over and scraped his knee. The other children didn't so much as twitch to help him, more interested in getting adopted. Tino got up and walked over to the boy.

"Are you okay?" he asked. The little boy huffed.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" he asked, wincing when he shifted his knee.

Tino smiled. He reached forward and placed his hand on the back of the child's knee, bringing it closer for inspection. The boy cried out.

"Don't touch it!" he said.

"I'm not going to touch it, I just want to look." Tino said. Berwald kneeled down beside him, inspecting the child, "Well, it's not bleeding, just skinned. Come on, we'll take you to the infirmary."

The little boy yelped as Berwald picked him up and carried him out of the room. Tino smiled and held the child's hand.

"I'm Peter." the boy said, his accent sounding British.

"My name's Tino." he said back, "And this is Berwald."

"So you two are married?" Peter asked, "Isn't it supposed to be a guy and a girl?"

Tino laughed nervously, "Well, we decided to be different."

Peter nodded, "Okay."

Tino sighed, glad that children were very accepting. They walked into the infirmary and talked to Peter. He was a very animated little boy, always getting into trouble, but he had a good heart, and never did anyone wrong (or tied not to). HE didn't remember his family, but that never bothered him. As they talked, Tino found himself coming to love the little boy. He pulled Berwald aside so Peter couldn't hear them.

"He's the one." Tino said, "I just know it, he's ours."

"Yer sure?" Berwald asked.

Tino nodded, "I know it, Berwald. He just has to come home with us."

They talked for another moment, then went back over to the little boy, "Peter." Tino said, "Would you like to come home with us?"

Peter's eyes widened, "You . . . you want to adopt me?" he asked.

Tino smiled and nodded. Peter stared at them in disbelief for a moment before starting to cry. He wiped away the tears with the back of his hand, "Yeah, I _hic_, I wanna go home with you."

Tino smiled and wrapped his arms around the crying boy. Peter wrapped his arms around Tino and sobbed, trying to keep his crying to a low volume. Berwald sat down next to them and rubbed the small boy's back, comforting him.

They signed a few more papers, packed Peter's things and drove home. The entire time, Peter was excitedly talking a mile a minute, asking questions about his new home. They arrived at their home and got out. Peter, dragged Tino up the steps, begging to be shown the entire home while Berwald carried his things inside.

"Do I have any brothers or sisters?" Peter asked, tugging on Tino's hand.

"No, but we do have a dog." Tino said.

"A dog? What's his name? Can I see him?" Peter asked, nearly bouncing off the walls.

"Her name is Hana-tamago, and yes, you can see her." Tino said. He whistled sharply, calling the fluffy white dog to them. Hana-tamago came barreling down the corner, eager to meet the new person in the house.

Peter and Hana-tamago took to each other right away, and often ran around the house playing tag. Tino absolutely loved his life now. It was undeniably perfect. There were a few time when he wished he could spend more time with his family (like that year he went to America [he didn't know that Americans were so messed up]), but other than that, he was as happy as could be.

One day, the year that Peter turned twelve and Tino and Berwald started to contemplate adopting another child, a knock came to the door. Tino was home alone that day, he had broke his finger in a door and was given some time off. He got up from the sofa and walked to the front door. He opened it and nearly slammed it closed again.

His mother and father were standing outside the door in the snow.

"Mom." Tino said, unbelieving, "Dad . . . What are you doing here?"

"We came to apologize." his mother said, "We . . . We've really missed you." she said, shaking.

Tino was stunned, "How did you find me?"

"Iceland told us." his father said, "I'm . . . sorry for what I did."

Tino was almost in tears, "Would you like to come in?" he asked, barely keeping a waver out of his voice.

They all went inside and sat down in the living room. Tino's parents looked around the well decorated home in wonderment.

"So, you're married?" his mother asked once they were settled.

"Yes, Berwald and I are married." Tino said, gauging his parents reactions.

"So you really have married another man." his father said. Tino's mother shot him a look and he looked a little ashamed.

"Yes, and I'm very happy." Tino said proudly, "We're actually contemplating adopting again."

"Again?" his mother asked, "I have a grandchild?"

Tino nodded, "He should be home any minute now."

At that moment, the door opened and shouts could be heard.

"Hey dad! Guess what I did in school today!" Peter called. He rounded the corner and stopped, catching sight of the elderly couple on the sofa.

Berwald rounded the corner and looked over at the two strangers (to him, anyway). Tino stood up and walked over to his family.

"Berwald, Peter, these are my parents. They came all this way to see us." Tino said, grabbing hold of Berwald's hand, "Mom, Dad, this is my husband Berwald, and my son Peter."

Berwald nodded his head, but Peter launched into his questioning mode, "So they're my Grandparents? How come I haven't met them before?"

Tino's mother stood up and walked over to Peter, "Hello." she said, shakily, "Aren't you a handsome young man."

Peter blushed and grinned, "I am, aren't I?"

Tino's father reached out a hand to shake with Berwald. Berwald gripped the smaller man's hand in his and shook it, "Nice, strong handshake you have there." he commented.

Berwald nodded. They let go and stared at each other for a while. Tino looked on from the side. Okay, maybe not perfect, but close enough.

**Author Commentary:** Ah, it's finished in time. Thank god. This took me a week. Hope you liked it!


	5. Fly

**Author Commentary:** He wasn't in the last chapter or anything, but I felt like writing about England next. Since I don't have a solid idea where this is going, I'll just be going with the flow for the first little while. Hope it doesn't suck.

Okay just a bit of clearing up something. You know how I said that Gilbert and Ludwig were three years apart in Kiku's story? Forget it. I messed up. Gilbert is six years older. Get it? I'll go back and switch it around after I post this.

**Character:** England

**Rating:** M

**Warnings:** Yaoi, Angst, Dark themes, Some sexual relations/references

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters, for the most part.

Arthur Kirkland had always thought he was going to be a normal person. Grow up, get a job, marry, have kids, something like that. That possibility, however, probably halted the day he met Francis Bonnefoy, that damn French bastard.

It had started out like any other day in London, sort of overcast with a sky that looked like it could come down any minute in a fury of rain and thunder. This didn't stop a young Arthur, who was around five at this time, from heading over to the park across the street from his apartment building. He went there every day, so today really shouldn't have been any different. It was different however, very different.

Arthur knew three things about the other boys there right away: 1) they were older than him, 2) they weren't from around where he grew up, and 3) that they were very, very interesting.

One was tan, very tan, and well built, even for a child. He had bright green eyes that shone, not with intelligence, but with honesty. His curly hair was dark brown, which looked good with his tan complexion. Another one of the boys was pale, really, really, _really_ pale, nearly white. Which would match his hair, a silvery, snowy-white colour. The only colour on him was his eyes, which shone dark ruby red, full of energy, ready to burst out and form into . . . something. He was rather skinny, but looked slightly toned, as though he didn't get enough to eat and was given too much work to do. The last boy was the most interesting to Arthur. He was probably the best looking of the three, though the other two came in a close second and third. He had shoulder length curly blond hair that gleamed even in the dim light of the overcast day. He had sparkling blue eyes that shone with intelligence and a bit of mischief, an interesting combination. He wasn't skinny, or well built like his friends were, but lean. Arthur walked cautiously over to the three older boys, silently wondering if they would invite him over themselves and spared him the trouble of initiating anything.

The tan boy looked over at him. He smiled and waved Arthur over, saying something in a language that Arthur couldn't understand. He smiled and ran across the street, stopping in front of the boys.

"Good day." Arthur said, "My name is Arthur Kirkland."

The tan boy looked down at him, "My name is Antonio Fernandez Carriedo." he said in very accented English.

The pale boy said something in what sounded like German to Antonio, who said something back in Spanish. The blonde boy walked up to Arthur and smiled down at him.

"Bonjour." he said, accent sounding very French, "My name is Francis Bonnefoy."

Arthur looked up at the taller boy, "I'm Arthur Kirkland."

Francis smiled, then he gasped, "Mom Dieu! What are those things on your forehead?"

Arthur's eyes widened as his hands flew up to touch his forehead, feeling for anything out of the ordinary. He felt around for a minute, but didn't find anything. Francis reached out and pulled Arthur's hands away, running a finger over his eyebrow. Arthur raised said eyebrow, not understanding what the problem was.

Francis then laughed, "Oh, I see, they are eyebrows!"

Arthur bristled. He was well aware that his eyebrows were a bit thicker that normal, but that still didn't mean people needed to point it out all of the time, "Y-you shut up! You git!"

Francis laughed and patted his head, "Aw, there there little Arthur, I'm sure you will grow into them at some point."

Arthur growled and slapped the hand away, "You wanker."

Francis chuckled, "Hm, your eyebrows may be frightening, but the rest of you is pretty cute." he mused.

Arthur blushed, unused to the compliment. He had been told by his mother that he was cute, but other than that, no one had labeled the young boy as 'cute'. In an embarrassed flurry, Arthur turned around and sprinted back across the street and into his apartment building. He scaled the stairs up to the apartment where he and his mother lived. He slammed the door and ran into his room.

And that was how they met.

Arthur eventually went back to play with the three boys after sulking for a while. They weren't fast friends, or even good friends, but they made do. Arthur learned a lot about the three older boys. Antonio was from a well off family in Spain, a very Catholic family. Antonio didn't really mind the strict rules though, but he was already straining at the limitations put on him. Gilbert, the pale boy, was from a place called East Germany, somewhere where you couldn't really travel to or from until a year ago. Apparently the place was really bad, since Gilbert didn't like talking about it and looked sort of haunted when he did. He had a younger brother who was a year old now, and Gilbert apparently loved him very much, if his constant jabber about him was enough to go by. Francis was, as Arthur guessed, French, born in Paris. He had no idea who his father was, but didn't care in the slightest. He was an only child (so was Antonio, but he had so many cousins that it didn't really feel like it), but even then his mother didn't pay a lot of attention to him. So Francis found other way's to entertain himself, and that included teasing Arthur and playing with Antonio and Gilbert.

The three boys visited England every summer for the next eleven years, always coming back to the same playground. Arthur watched as they grew from three young boys, to three gangly preteens, to three very hansom young men. He watched as Gilbert became more wild, he watched as Antonio started questioning his faith and identity, he watched as Francis became flirtatious and perverted. Still, every summer, they showed up at the park, ready to play football (soccer) with Arthur. Arthur found himself liking Francis the most for some reason. It was absurd, he didn't like the Frenchie at all, but he liked him more than he liked Antonio or Gilbert, so that's how it went.

Summer again, the mismatched boys are once again at the park. Arthur's twelve and the others are fifteen.

"My goodness Arthur." Francis said, "You've grown so much in the last year."

Arthur puffed out his chest proudly, "I had a growth spurt. And I'm still growing."

Francis laughed, "But you still have a long way to go, mon petit."

Arthur kicked him in the shins, "Be quiet you!" he hollered.

Francis winced, then went into fake dramatics, "Oh, it is terrible! Our little Arthur is growing into a savage brute! The barbarity!" he sobbed, flinging himself onto Antonio, who rubbed his back comfortingly.

"No te preocupes, Francis!" Antonio smiled, "We will raise Arthur to be a gentleman!"

Gilbert rolled his eyes, "Yeah, and we're such good role models in the first place." he said.

Arthur grumbled, "For once, I agree with Gilbert."

Antonio gasped, "The world is ending!"

They all burst into laughter at that, mainly because Antonio probably believed that the world really was ending (he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer). They spent whole summers like this, just joking around, and Arthur didn't know anything different from this. Sometimes the three older boys would talk in their mother tongues, rendering Arthur unable to understand what they were talking about, but he didn't pry. If they wanted to share with him, they would. He didn't mention how sometimes Gilbert would look haunted and mean, or how sometimes Antonio's gaze lingered a little too long on other boys, or how Francis sometimes had a lot of bruises.

Eleven summers had passed, and now Arthur was faced with some shattering news.

"You aren't coming back next summer?" a fifteen year old Arthur asked, something close to horrified.

Francis smiled, "We are graduating this year, non? We are going off to make careers after this."

Arthur shook his head and stomped his foot, immature, but around these three, maturity went on vacation, "But you promised you'd come back every summer!" he cried.

Francis patted his head, just like the day that they first met, "Cher, we cannot always keep our promises in life. Sometimes we have to bend our promises to move on in life."

Arthur held back tears, "But you promised!"

Francis sighed, "What if I make you a new promise?" Francis asked.

Arthur looked up, "A new promise?"

Francis hugged Arthur, patting his head, "Oui, a new promise. I promise to come back here one day, just for you."

Arthur considered it for a moment, then nodded, "Okay, as long as you keep it."

Francis chuckled, "Of course mon cher."

Arthur pulled away and looked up at the taller Frenchman, "You have to promise!"

Francis laughed, then he leaned down and placed a light kiss on Arthur's lips, "For you, I would promise anything." he said.

Arthur's face burned, "Y-y-y-y-YOU GIT!" he cried, shoving Francis in the chest.

Francis laughed and started running away, the other two running after, howling with laughter. Arthur chased them, enraged by Francis's thievery of his first kiss. The three boys left the next day, leaving England behind, and, at the same time, leaving Arthur behind with nothing to look forward to next year. All throughout his school career, he had always looked forward to the summer and spending it with the haunted German, the questioning Spaniard, and the flirtatious Frenchman, though he would never admit it.

The year Arthur graduated, he finally understood why Francis had told him they could no longer come back. Taking yourself to the heights you wanted was a full time job. Even though Arthur tried his hardest, he still was not able to return to the park the next year, for he was too busy trying to make it as an author.

"Damn it." Arthur growled as he put another book on the shelf of the small book store he worked in, "Fuck."

"What are you swearing about now?" the young woman he worked with asked.

"Nothing, childhood fantasies." he grumbled.

The young woman rolled her eyes, "Tell me about it." she asked.

Arthur sighed, "Made a promise to a friend, but I can't keep it because I can't get my book published."

"Why don't you go to the USA? They'll publish you're book." she said.

Arthur looked over at her, "You really think so?" he asked.

"Sure, they publish any shit." she said, sticking out her tongue.

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Gee, thanks."

Still, Arthur thought hard about what she had said. America was a very rich country, and they could help him in his quest for greatness. He put off making the decision though, telling himself that England was just fine for publishing books (just look at J.K. Rowelling and Conan Doyle). That changed, however, when tragedy struck Arthur.

His mother died.

She had been battling the cancer for a while now, but she hadn't been strong enough to fight it off. When Arthur had heard, he'd scrambled to be at her side, but he wasn't quick enough to be there when she died. He buried her in the lot she wanted to be in. It wasn't a particularly beautiful spot, but she had always told him that it wouldn't matter if she was in pretty spot or not, she wasn't going to see it. He stood out in the typical London rain and stayed out until everyone had left. He stared at the newly carved headstone that proudly read 'Brittany Kirkland - Mother, Friend, and shoulder to cry on.' He stayed until an all too familiar voice sounded from behind him.

"It's really too bad, I liked you're mother." the owner of the voice said.

Arthur wiped his head around, "F-Francis?"

Francis smiled, "The one and only."

He was taller now, and his hair was a little longer. His chin was covered in a light layer of fuzz, making him look older than his age of twenty three. He was wearing a grey coat and black dress pants. Francis held a black umbrella in his left hand, and two bouquets of flowers in the other. He smiled at Arthur and laid one of the bouquets on the grave. He stood back up and smiled at arthur.

"Did she go peacefully?" he asked.

"Yeah." Arthur said, "They had her so pumped full of medications that she barely felt a thing."

Francis smiled, "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Arthur said. He really hated it when people apologized for things they had nothing to do with.

Francis held out the other bouquet, "For you."

Arthur took them, "Red roses? That's so cliche."

Francis laughed, "Oh Arthur, you haven't changed at all."

Arthur blushed, "I have so changed. I've become much more mature."

Francis raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?" he asked.

"Yes." Arthur huffed.

Francis chuckled, "You could be an old man and you would still be the same pouty child to moi."

Arthur bristled, "Shut up you!" he cried, swinging his umbrella.

Francis ducked out of the way and started running away, laughing. Arthur chased after him, shouting the whole time. They ended up running until they ended up at a park. Francis turned around sharply and snatched Arthur's wrist, tugging him closer. Arthur stumbled and collided with Francis's chest, unable to move away due to the Frenchman's long arms encircling him. He struggled for a moment, then relaxed, too tired from the day to do anything.

"I made a promise, and I kept it." Francis whispered into his ear. Arthur looked around and saw that the park they were in was their old park.

"How did you know?" Arthur asked quietly.

Francis tightened his arms, "I didn't, it was a stroke of luck."

"Bullocks." Arthur grumbled, but didn't pry.

They stayed that way for a while before either of them said anything. Then, Francis spoke, "How have you been?" he asked.

Arthur pulled away from Francis, "My mother just died, how do you think?"

Francis rolled his eyes, "I mean aside from that."

Arthur sighed, "Fine I guess. Could be better."

Francis sat down on the bench, even though it was still raining and didn't look like letting up anytime soon. Arthur sat down beside him, and Francis wrapped an arm around his shoulders, "What have you been doing?" he asked.

"Trying to become an author." Arthur replied, "But so far it's not really working."

"I'm sorry to hear that, mon cher." Francis said.

"A friend told me to go to the US to get my book published." Arthur continued, "And . . . I think I might."

Francis nodded, "I have been trying to become a chef." he admitted, "But I'm going to quit."

Arthur looked over at him, squinting a little in the rain, "Why?"

"I'm going to try something new." Francis said, smiling at him, "Well, Antonio, Gilbert and I are trying something new to be precise."

"What are you going to do?" Arthur asked.

"We are going to restart our band." Francis explained, "It fell apart because we used to live in separate countries."

"I wasn't aware that you had a band." Arthur mused. That must have been one of the things that they kept to themselves.

Francis nodded, "Yes, we kept you away from those sorts of things."

Arthur leaned his head on Francis's shoulder, exhausted, "Hope you do well." he said, closing his eyes.

Francis wrapped both of his arms around Arthur, "Same to you, mon cher."

They stayed like that for about a minute before Francis pulled away, "Let's go get drunk." he suggested.

Arthur paled a little, "Um, no."

Francis tilted his head, "Eh? Why not?"

"I'm a bad drunk." Arthur said sheepishly.

Francis chuckled, "Don't worry, I will protect you."

Arthur rolled his eyes and stood up, "I won't be the one needing protection."

They end up in a nameless pub, enjoying some average grade booze. Francis was desperately trying to keep Arthur's clothing on.

"Mon cher, as much as I would love to see you sky-clad, I don't think this is the appropriate place." he said.

"Ah, shadap." Arthur growled, loosening his tie, "It's damn stuffy 'n here."

Francis rolled his eyes and pulled Arthur's drink from his hand, "I think you've had enough."

Arthur pouted and reached for his drink, "Hey, give that back. Wasn't finished."

"Oh, I think you are quite done." Francis said. He pulled Arthur's coat around the smaller Brit and stood him up, "Come, you can spend the night in my hotel." He got a firm grip on Arthur's upper arm and started to lead him out into the still raining evening.

Arthur stumbled a bit, nearly falling over, "Can walk m'self."

Francis raised a brow, watching Arthur stumble again, "Of course you can."

They reached Francis's hotel room and staggered inside (Francis had a few drinks as well). Arthur stumbled again, this time falling down and bring Francis down on top of him. They stayed that way for a moment before Francis propped himself up on his elbows, looking down at Arthur. Arthur stared up into the clear blue eyes, wrapping his arms around Francis's shoulders and bring his face closer.

"Arthur." Francis said, his tone slightly warning.

_You'll regret this in the morning._

Arthur pulled Francis down and tilted his head up the rest of the way, connecting their lips, albeit a little sloppily.

Francis realigned their lips to a more comfortable position before kissing back, slowly, sensuously. Arthur buried his hands in Francis's soft, silky hair. They kissed for a while, Francis's hands wandering over Arthur's body. His shirt was pushed up around him armpits and gentle fingers worked his dusky nipples.

"M~n~h." Arthur moaned into the kiss, wiggling his hips under the other man.

Francis pulled away, lifting the shirt up and over Arthur's head, "Don't blame me in the morning." he said, lowering his mouth to lay hickeys and love bites on the smooth neck.

Arthur sighed and turned his head, baring more skin for the Frenchman to explore. Francis sucked on a particularly sensitive spot and left a dark purple hickey. He trailed his mouth lower, lips ghosting over the collarbone and down onto the chest. Francis's tongue flicked over a pert nipple, making Arthur whimper.

"Bloody tease." he groaned, bucking his hips a little.

Francis chuckled and bit down on the hardened bud. He licked it again before moving to give the same treatment to the other nipple. He rubbed the black trouser clad thighs and reached up to the belt, unbuckling it and pulling the pants down and off. Thin fingers kneed the standing erection through cotton boxers, making Arthur moan loudly. The younger man bucked his hips up, trying to get more friction to stimulate himself into release. Francis pulled his fingers away, much to Arthur's displeasure.

"Bloody wanker." he growled, "Finish what you started."

"We will get to that, mon cher. But maybe we should move this little event to the bedroom before we sully the floor?" Francis said, nudging his arms underneath of Arthur's shoulders and legs, hoisting him up so he was carrying him bridal style.

Arthur squeaked and tried to wiggle out of his grip, "Put me down!"

"If you insist." Francis said, dropping Arthur unceremoniously onto the bed. Arthur yelped as he bounced a little. He glared up at Francis.

"Prat." he growled.

Francis chuckled and got on top of Arthur, straddling his hips. He leaned down to capture Arthur's already kiss swollen lips. He slid his hands down over the slender hips, bringing the boxers down as he went. Arthur moaned as his cock was released from the tight cotton prison. Francis began licking, sucking, and biting his way down Arthur's body. Arthur wiggled his hips, trying to draw attention to his neglected member. Francis chuckled and licked the straining organ from base to tip. Arthur thrusted his hips upward, moaning. Francis wrapped his mouth around the tip, sucking lightly. Arthur attempted to thrust again, put Francis held his hips down.

"T-Tease." Arthur panted out between moans.

Francis smirked around the twitching member and engulfed the entire organ. Arthur threw back his head and cried out an unintelligible yell that may or may not have been a garbled version of Francis's name.

Francis continued sucking until Arthur was nearly at his breaking point, then he pulled away, "Do you have any lubricant?" he asked, wiping away the precum at the corner of his mouth with the heel of his palm.

Arthur blinked stupidly for a moment, then shook his head, "Don't have any."

Francis frowned, "Hm, then we will have to make do." he presented three fingers to Arthur, pressing them against his lips, "Suck."

Arthur accepted the digits into his mouth, having only a vague notion of what they were for. He licked and sucked on the long fingers in his mouth, lubricating them as much as possible. Francis pulled them away and flipped Arthur over onto all four, then stopped.

"Arthur, you never told me you had a tattoo." Francis chuckled. He traced the dark lines of the intricate wings tattoo that spread across Arthur's shoulders.

"Wings, for freedom." Arthur said automatically, having said it before to his other bed partners (he was no stranger to women, but this was his first time with another man).

Francis chuckled again and slipped a finger into Arthur's entrance, making him gasp, "It suits you. I could always picture you flying around on wings like an angel."

He wiggled his finger and Arthur groaned. Another finger penetrated his entrance, scissoring and stretching. Arthur shifted his hips, unsure if he liked this new sensation or not. Another finger was added, brushing against his prostate and making Arthur see stars. He keened and pushed his hips back into those questing fingers, desperate for more.

Francis pulled his fingers away, much to the displeasure of the Brit, "Don't fret mon cher, you'll get the pleasure you desire in a moment, just hold still." Francis said, moving behind Arthur.

Arthur felt the blunt head of a surprisingly well lubricated cock press against his entrance. He forced his muscles to relax and waited for what was about to come (pun intended).

Francis slowly pushed forward, squeezing himself into the tight hole. Arthur groaned and whimpered, unsure of how to move.

"Uh- hah- Fr-Franc-cis." Arthur panted.

Francis was panting behind him as well. He slowly pulled out and thrusted forward, gripping Arthur's hips tightly. He started thrusting, keeping a steady pace. Arthur moaned and pushed his hips backward onto the member inside of him.

"Harder." Arthur demanded.

"You're so naughty." Francis chuckled, complying with Arthur's request. He picked up the pace until he was slamming into Arthur's hole.

"Ah!" Arthur cried as Francis brushed that little button inside of him, "Th-there! Ugh, yeah, right there!"

"As you wish." Francis grunted. He slammed forward into that same spot, making Arthur see white.

Francis continued to thrust into Arthur, his pace unrelenting. He leaned forward over the sweating back and licked one of the beautiful wings that was set into the skin.

Arthur arched his back and came with a shaky cry, "A-a~a~a~h!"

Francis felt the constriction on his cock and snapped his hips forward, as close as possible to the other man and filled him with his seed, "O~h Arthur!"

They collapsed onto the bed, stated and spent. Francis gingerly pulled out of Arthur's abused hole, laying himself down next to the younger man. He lifted a hand and placed it on the sweaty back, right in between the wings.

"One day you will fly." Francis said, "You will fly high above all of us on your own wings."

Arthur shifted on the bed so he was looking at Francis, "And what about you?" he asked.

Francis smiled, "I will only wish that you will take me with you."

Arthur sighed and drifted off into dreamland, taking Francis's poetic words with him.

The next morning, Arthur awoke alone, a note on the pillow beside him.

Arthur sleepily pulled the note towards himself, rubbing the sandman's dust from his eyes as he did so. He flipped open the note and read:

_Dear Arthur_

_I'm sorry I could not be there when you woke up, but my plane leaves in an hour, and I need to be on it (damn non-refundable tickets). I have paid for the room until midnight tonight, so take you're time. I am deeply sorry for your loss, but I hope you have good luck in the USA with your book._

_PS; Don't forget your wings if you want to fly._

(scribbles)

_Hope to see you again._

_Francis_

Arthur scowled at the note. Bastard had taken his ass-virginity and hadn't even bothered to stick around the next morning. And what did he mean when he said, 'Don't forget your wings'? They were tattooed into his back, how the hell could he forget them? Arthur tossed the note down and buried his face in the pillow, wincing when he felt something leaking out of his very sore ass.

Arthur dozed for another hour or so before deciding that it was time to get up. He showered and dressed himself, ignoring the pain in his backside. He took the trolly back to his apartment, trying to avoid the stares he attracted (his clothing was dirty from the rain and the bar, and the hickey on his neck was clearly visible). Arthur slowly climbed the stairs to his apartment, unlocking the front door and walking inside. He tossed his keys down on the counter, next to his passport.

Arthur stared at the passport. He'd never traveled outside of the country, so there were no visa's stamped into it. Arthur picked up the passport and flipped through it.

The next month, his plane landed in New York.

He filled out immigration papers and nearly fell asleep while the people behind the desk checked out his records. He was finally allowed to leave and enter the country (officially). Arthur decided he didn't really like the USA so far. He much preferred the streets of London to the streets of New York City. He walked to the apartment he had rented in advance and flopped down on the bed, exhausted.

He eventually found work in a library, assigned to the English literature section (something he had extensive knowledge of). There, he met a man named Yao Wang, who looked like he was younger than Arthur, even though he was closer to thirty. He had long black hair, gold/amber eyes, and ivory skin. He was smaller than Arthur, adding to the illusion that he was younger, but he spoke in a manner that made him seem like a wise old man.

"So you're from the United Kingdom aru? Why did you choose to come to the States aru?" Yao asked.

Arthur sighed, "I'm trying to get my book published, and my mother just died."

"I'm sorry for your loss aru." Yao said politely.

"It's fine." Arthur said. He turned to face the other man, "So what about you? Were you born in the States?"

Yao shook his head, "I'm from China aru."

"Oh really?" Arthur said, interested, "Was it nice there?"

Yao nodded, "I only remember the small village where I grew up, but it was nice aru."

"You must have been pretty young when you came over." Arthur said.

"I was around twelve aru. They shipped me over to America after my parents died." Yao said, a slight far-off look crossing his face.

"That must have been sad." Arthur said.

Yao smiled at him, "It was a long time ago, I'm not sad any more aru."

Arthur found himself becoming friends with the other man quickly. They didn't have too much in common (Yao had dropped out of school to support his seven siblings while Arthur had gone to collage and was only working while his book remained unable to support him), but they got along fine. They talked about anything that came to mind, and sometimes went out for drinks together.

One day, after three years in the USA (publishing companies are so mean), Arthur approached Yao, seeing that he was rather upset looking.

"Oi, Are you all right?" he asked, furrowing his bushy brows.

"I'm fine Arthur, just some family drama aru." Yao said, smiling weakly at the younger man.

"Ah, that's not good." Arthur sat down next to Yao, "Wanna talk about it?"

Yao sighed, looking like he was about to say something when their nasty old boss walked past, "Maybe later aru. We can have a couple drinks at my place aru."

"Sounds good, I'll see you after work." Arthur said, never one to pass up free alcohol. He went back to his work and wondered what Yao's family could be up to now (with all eight of them, there was always some drama).

Later that evening, Yao had taken them into his apartment (his siblings were somewhere else) and poured them some drinks. They started talking about Yao's dilemma while knocking back liquor. Apparently, Yao's little brother Kiku (who was from Japan, go figure) had left in an angry fit, and they hadn't heard from him since. And then a month later, the twins of the family, Hyong-soo and Yong-soo (Korean, what was wrong with this family?) had had a huge fight and weren't speaking to each other, even as they left for collage.

"And they left aru!" Yao cried, slurring slightly, "They left and didn't even say goodbye to each other."

Arthur swayed slightly, "Well, it could be wor-_hic_-worse. You're how old Yao? Twenty-five? Twenty-six?" Arthur had forgotten how old he was and just guessed based on Yao's looks.

"Thirty aru." Yao said.

"Looking good." Arthur said, downing another shot of whiskey, "You're thirty and you're still young and good looking and single. You've got a good job that pay's alright. You've got your whole life ahead of you."

Yao rolled his eyes, "I'm thirty and old as hell, and a virgin aru. I'm in a dead end job that only just feeds my family and pays the bills aru. My high school education isn't taking me anywhere and my family is falling apart at the seams aru."

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Pessimist."

At that moment, the door opened and shut, revealing another one of Yao's siblings. He was short-ish, with dark hair and eyes, like most Asians Arthur had encountered. He had abnormally thick eyebrows, not unlike Arthur's own eyebrows. He was young, mid teens at best. When his gaze fell on Arthur, he stopped.

"Oh, Hong Kong." Yao said, addressing the young man, "This is Arthur Kirkland, my coworker aru. Arthur this is my little brother, Wang Hong Kong."

"Charmed." Arthur said, his British accent making him sound more drunk than he really was.

"N-nice to meet you." Hong Kong said, bowing lowly and stumbling a little. He excused himself and went to his room (presumably), leaving Arthur and Yao in the living room together.

"Cute kid." Arthur said, downing his drink.

Yao nodded, "He's the only one in the family that's actually blood related to me aru."

"Crazy family." Arthur said laughing.

Yao leaned over and punched Arthur in the arm, "Shut up aru!"

They exchanged some friendly blows, stopping when Arthur bumped into a clock and sent it crashing to the floor.

"Oops." Arthur said, looking down at the shattered remains of the clock.

"Don't worry about it aru." Yao said, waving his hand dismissively, "You can pay for it later aru."

That's why he liked Yao, he was fun in a sort of no-nonsense kind of way, if that made any sense at all. Arthur left that night with promises to pay for the destructed clock.

The next morning, Arthur woke up with a nasty hangover drilling a hole between his eyes. He took some painkillers with tea and went off to work, only stopping to empty his stomach in a trash can. He arrived at work to find Yao already there, which was strange, since Arthur was so OCD about time (if you ever said that to his face, you'd find yourself lacking some vital organs).

"How's you're head aru?" Yao asked.

"Splitting." Arthur grumbled.

Yao chuckled, "Same here aru."

Arthur half heartedly glared, "Then why are you so chipper? With the way you were bitching last night you should have stayed home."

Yao smiled at Arthur, who felt his face heat up a little bit, "I just have a good feeling aru."

"Let me have some." Arthur groaned, putting his head down on the desk, "Aru." he added.

Yao laughed and told him to get to work.

Three days later, he met Hong Kong for the second time.

"Oh hello there." Arthur said, "You're Yao's little brother, right?"

Hong Kong nodded, not meeting Arthur's eyes.

"What would you like help with?" Arthur asked, assuming the boy was shy.

Hong Kong looked up at him quickly, then looked away, a cute shade of pink spreading across his face, "I can't reach a book I want." he said quietly.

Arthur nodded, he was a quite short boy, "Which book do you want?"

Hong Kong led him to the shelf, pointing to a thick, red leather bound copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ on the top shelf. Arthur reached up, barely managing to pull the book down (he wasn't the tallest person himself). He handed it to Hong Kong with a smile.

"So you like Jane Austin?" he asked as Hong Kong took the book.

Hong Kong nodded, clutching the book to his chest, "I'm actually rereading this one."

Arthur smiled, "Yeah, I liked that one as well."

After that, he saw Hong Kong in the library a lot more. Initially Arthur was polite, mainly because he was a co-workers little brother, but over time Arthur grew to like Hong Kong, and enjoyed telling him about the various English authors and poets (his favourite was Shakespeare). He also found the teen a little cute, in that 'I wanna give you a cookie and a hug' kind of way.

The next time Arthur goes over to Yao's for drinks, they end up going a little too far.

Arthur had a lot to drink that time, probably more than he should have. He barely remembers anything about the entire night, only little snippets of things. He remembers kissing Yao and pulling off the Asian's shirt. He remembers Yao leading him to the bedroom and wrapping his arms around his shoulders. He doesn't remember how they got naked, or how he got inside of Yao. He does remember the feeling of being inside of the other man (God he was tight) and the number of times they did it, and where and in what positions.

The next morning he woke up with his brains oozing out of his ears, having turned to mush.

"Ugh, I got a splittn' headache." Arthur groaned, sitting up. He looked over at Yao, who was already up, but hunched over, as if in pain, "You alright?" he asked the other man.

"Sore aru." Yao said, rubbing his lower back.

Arthur laughed, "Sorry. It's sort of an occupational hazard." he said, remembering his first time up the ass.

Yao rolled his eyes and got up out of bed. At that moment the door opened and in stepped Hong Kong.

"Brother, why was you're shirt on the fl- !" the fifteen year old stopped. Flicking his eyes from Yao to Arthur and back, he shouted, "I hate you!"

"Hong Kong!" Yao shouted after the boy, but Hong Kong had already ran off into the apartment.

"Um . . ." Arthur said, pulling on his clothing, "I think I should go."

"That's probably for the best aru." Yao said, handing the Brit his shirt.

The next day, Yao approached Arthur, looking like he'd been crying the entire night.

"You look like hell." Arthur said.

Yao smiled weakly, "I feel like hell aru."

There was a long silence that followed, and Arthur wasn't sure what to make of it. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but it still felt like something needed to be said.

"Hong Kong has a crush on you aru." Yao blurted, explaining the odd behavior the previous morning.

"Ah." Arthur said. That certainly explained things, "How's he doing?"

Yao sighed, "He's angry with me aru."

Arthur nodded, "Poor kid."

Yao nodded, running a hand through his hair (it's not in it's usual ponytail, and it tangled and rather limp looking) and sighing.

"Guess I shouldn't come over anymore, huh?" Arthur said.

"No." Yao said, "It would hurt him too much aru."

Despite the little bump in their relationship, Yao and Arthur remained friends. Yao was the first person that Arthur told when his book was finally published.

By a British branch company, ironically enough.

"That's wonderful aru!" Yao said over the phone.

"It's amazing!" Arthur said, "I'll be able to move back to the UK now."

"And leave me behind aru? You traitor aru." Yao teased.

Arthur rolled his eyes, "I'm not leaving right away. I'll have to wait around for a while while everything is finalized over here."

They talked for a while before saying their goodbyes and hanging up. Arthur had to stick around for another three months before he was able to leave the country. His book was well on it's way to the shelves (in both Britain and North America [that included Canada]) and the United Kingdom was welcoming him back to the country. His flight however, ended up grounded in Toronto due to crappy weather.

"Honestly, who the hell doesn't see a fucking blizzard when they check the weather stations?" Arthur grumbled to himself. Oh well, at least the Canadians had some good tea and doughnuts (he'd have to come back to Canada later, because Tim Hortons was fucking _good_).

Arthur picked up a newspaper that had been left on the chair beside him and began leafing through it. It wasn't the most recent paper, but it was only a day or two behind. He flicked over to the entertainment section and nearly had a heart attack.

There was a picture, in full colour, of Gilbert, Antonio, and Francis on the front page, proudly telling the reader about their band.

Arthur quickly read the caption below the picture.

_The cover picture for the __Bad Company Trio__'s latest Album, '__Fairytale__', which has sold over one hundred thousand copies in it's first week of release._

Arthur couldn't believe it. The buggers had done it, they'd made it as musicians. He heard of the 'Bad Company Trio' but he hadn't made the connection, even though the names 'Gilbert', 'Antonio', and 'Francis' had come up in the conversations. Arthur quickly read through the article, reading about how the band had reached semi-fame in Europe and was now doing a tour of Canada, where they had gained exponential recognition. They were now a multi-million commodity, and their songs were topping the charts. It was a miracle that Arthur had only barely heard of them until now. He was very surprised to learn that they were playing their last concert in Canada before leaving for Europe near the airport where Arthur was currently at. He checked the date and time and looked over at the clock. It was three hours until the show started. His flight probably wasn't going to leave until morning.

Arthur slurped down the rest of his tea, inhaled the last of his doughnut, picked up his things, and ran out of the airport. He hailed a taxi and arrived at the concert hall in fifteen minutes. He got lucky and was able to get a last minute ticket (they were afraid of under selling, so they had printed out extras, but then they discovered they had more room than anticipated so . . . you get the picture, there were extra seats) before the doors closed. He took his seat and tried to wait calmly for the show to start.

It was a long two hours and forty five minutes, but finally the lights darkened and three figures walked out on the stage. Arthur could barely see them, but luckily there were large TV screens that focussed on the band members for the cheap or late people in the back.

Francis hadn't changed since the last time Arthur saw him. Same stubbly chin, almost shoulder length curly blond hair, long and lean and muscled body, and the same clear blue eyes that shone with mischievous and flirtatious intent. He was dressed in a blue button up shirt that was only half buttoned up, exposing that lightly fuzzy chest, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had on jeans that said 'these are my favourite jeans because I've been everywhere in them', held up (probably not, probably more for decoration) by a black leather belt with a heart shaped buckle.

He was utterly gorgeous.

Francis walked up to the center stage and wrapped his hand around the microphone, smirking at the crowd.

"Good evening." he said in the infuriating French accent of his, "Are you ready for some quality entertainment tonight?"

The crowd went wild, cheering and crying out. Arthur covered his ears at the shear noise they were making. Goodness, they were making the entire hall shake!

Francis laughed, "I guess so."

And then he launched into a song.

_Years ago, when I was younger_

_I kinda liked a girl I knew_

_She was mine and we were sweethearts_

_That was then but then it's true_

Arthur let Francis's voice travel through his body. It was electrifying, hearing his voice after so long. Arthur couldn't help but remember the way that voice had made him feel so many different emotions. Anger, happiness, sadness, even ecstasy.

_I'm in love with a fairytale, even though it hurts_

_'Cause I don't care if I loose my mind_

_I'm already cursed_

_Every day we start a fighting_

_Every night we fell in love_

_No one else could make me sadder_

_But no one else could lift me high above_

_I don't know, what I was doing_

_When suddenly, we fell apart_

_Now a days, I cannot find her_

_But when I do, we'll get a brand new start_

At this point, Arthur realized the song was about him. His relationship with Francis. They always fought and squabbled, but by the end of the day, they were lovers, or as close as you could get to it.

And then they fell apart.

_I'm in love with a fairytale, even though it hurts_

_'Cause I don't care, if I loose my mind_

_I'm already cursed_

_She's a fairytale yeah even though it hurts_

_'Cause I don't care, if I loose my mind_

_I'm already cursed_

The song ended and the crowd erupted into cheers. Francis bowed and went to change places with Antonio, who was on drums, while Gilbert switched his violin for a guitar.

Throughout the entire show, Arthur listened to each song quietly, letting the lyrics swirl around him and their voices pierce him. He observed how both Antonio and Gilbert had changed since he last saw them. Antonio had become taller, and now filled out his muscular frame, giving him a more lanky appearance. Arthur noticed he wasn't wearing the cross his father had given him, and instead had exchanged it for a different one, this one with a small red stone in the center. Gilbert Had grown to, and now had a more mature look to him. He was still skinny and muscular, but his eyes no longer looked haunted by some ghost from the past.

The show lasted four hour, plus an encore, sung by Gilbert (who had a nice voice, surprisingly enough. As people began to file out, arthur raced out of the hall, making sure he held tightly onto his things. He ran around the building until he found the dressing room hall, blocked by security guards. Arthur timidly walked up to the security guards, who looked down at him with mild interest.

"You can't go back there without a pass." one of them said.

Arthur nodded, "I know, but . . . I'm an old friend of the band's. They aren't expecting me, but I'd like to see them." he said, fishing for his wallet, which had a picture of the four of them as children.

"You can't go back there without a pass." the guard said again tiredly, like he had done this millions of times.

Arthur pulled out his wallet and flipped through it until he found the picture. He showed it to the security guard and waited. Even though they were only eight and eleven in the picture, Gilbert's distinctive hair and eyes should prove the picture was legitimate. The guard scrutinized the photo.

"Can I have that?" he asked.

Arthur nodded and handed it the the man, who took it and walked down the hall, instructing his partner to watch Arthur while he was gone. Arthur quietly waited, looking around the large guard and down the hall. The other guard knocked on a door and Antonio poked his head out. They exchanged some words and the guard showed the Spaniard the photo. Suddenly Antonio was running down the hall at him.

"Arthur!" he cried as he threw his arms around the smaller Brit, "It's so good to see you, mi amigo!"

Arthur patted his back, "You to Antonio, now could you let go? You're crushing my ribs, you retard."

Antonio let go, "Ah, sorry. I've been working out, so I'm a lot stronger than I'm used to." he wrapped an arm around Arthur's shoulders and led him down the hallway, "So how have you been? Francis said you were going to become an author. How exciting! Has your book been published yet?"

"It's just reaching the shelves in two months." Arthur said, smiling at Antonio's country bumpkiness. He'd never change would he?

"Ah Si? That's wonderful! I'm so proud of you!" Antonio exclaimed.

"I'm so proud of you!" Arthur said, "A multi-million selling band. And you're only getting started."

Antonio blushed a little, but kept on smiling, "Hopefully we don't crash."

They both laughed at this. They reached the room and walked inside.

"Hey Toni!" Gilbert called, "Where the hell did you go?"

"I went to get Arthur!" Antonio said proudly, pushing Arthur forward, "He came to see our show!"

Francis stood up and embraced Arthur, "Welcome back, mon cher."

Surprising himself, Arthur hugged back, "It's good to be back."

After a round or two of welcomes and 'how have you been?'s, Arthur sat down next to Francis. A blonde he hadn't noticed before stood up and held out his hand to shake.

"Hello." he said quietly, "I'm Matthew Williams, Francis's cousin."

Arthur shook the offered hand, "Arthur Kirkland, a childhood friend of all three of these buggers."

Gilbert snorted, "If we're buggers, you're a Wichser _(wanker in German)_." he said.

Arthur rolled his eyes. Gilbert may look more mature, but he was still the same brat he was when they all first met.

They stayed up long into the night, talking about the various things that had happened in their lives. Antonio had been disowned by most of his family for being gay, but had found solace in the form of an irritable angel by the name of Lovino. 'Lovino' was still in Spain, and really didn't want anything to do with Antonio at all (so he said), but Antonio was very persistent. Gilbert was finally winding down from his wilder years, having caused enough trouble for one and a half people up until now. Both Antonio and Francis teased Gilbert about having a crush on someone, though Gilbert vehemently denied anything (a little too strongly though). He seemed to like Matthew quite a bit, and spoke nicely to him. Matthew was trying to become a photographer, or at least a recognized one, because anyone could take pictures. He took photos of everything from people to inanimate objects to scenery. Arthur initially thought he was a quiet and shy boy, and he was really, but he had a hidden snarky side that he could invoke at anytime. Francis was still Francis, nothing new there. Arthur wasn't as surprised as he thought he'd be when he heard that Francis had become a player. He was surprised to hear that Francis had gotten in touch with his father, and the end result hadn't been favourable.

Eventually, they retired to their hotel suite, inviting Arthur to stay with them, which he graciously accepted. Francis grabbed his hand and pulled him into his room before he could protest or the others could offer to share.

"Francis what- ?!" he was cut off as the Frenchman captured his lips in a passionate kiss.

Francis pulled away, "I missed you mon cher." he said huskily.

"I missed you too." Arthur admitted, grumbling.

Francis chuckled, "Still the same pouty child I see."

Arthur punched him in the shoulder, "And you're still the same annoying pervert."

Francis laughed and wrapped his arms around Arthur, his hand going down to squeeze the pert ass, "But of course cheri. Who would I be if I weren't?"

"A possibly respectable man." Arthur said.

Francis laughed, "You're so cute." he said, giving Arthur's rear another squeeze.

Arthur squeaked and tried to wiggle out of Francis's grip. Francis only chuckled and pulled his arms around the Brit tighter. He leaned down and kissed Arthur again. Arthur struggled for a moment before relaxing into it, slowly twining his arms around the taller man's back and kissing back. He felt Francis smirk against his lips and pinched him. Francis jumped a little but didn't pull away.

Arthur felt a tongue flick against his lips, asking for entrance. He opened his mouth and pressed his tongue against the others, trying to gain dominance. Francis chuckled and let Arthur's tongue press back into his mouth. They kissed for a while before air became priority and they parted.

"Perhaps we should move this to the bed?" Francis asked.

Arthur thought about it for a moment. Did he want to sleep with Francis again? He sighed and thought, _"Yes, yes, I want it."_

"Yeah." he said, snuggling into Francis's chest, hiding his face from view.

Francis chuckled and took Arthur's hand and led him to the bed. Francis tugged him down on the bed, gently laying him down on the bed. Francis positioned himself on top of Arthur, aligning them so their hips were pressed together.

"Mon cher." Francis said, leaning down to kiss Arthur again.

Arthur eagerly kissed back, pressing his mouth against the other male's. Arthur unbuttoned Francis's shirt the rest of the way and pulled it off of his shoulders. He buried his fingers in the light layer of chest hair, running the tips of his fingers over dark nipples. Francis moaned and gently rocked his hips, hands coming up to tear off Arthur's shirt. They broke the kiss as Francis pulled the shirt up and off of the Brit below him. Francis sat back and observed the flushed man.

Arthur blushed a little, "Well, do something." he demanded.

Francis laughed, "Anything for you mon cher."

Francis lowered himself again, latching onto the exposed neck. Arthur moaned as Francis laved away at his neck, leaving hickeys and slick trails. Francis sucked on the sensitive collarbone while divesting Arthur of his pants and boxers. Arthur moaned as his cock was exposed to the cool air. He reached down and unfastened the gaudy belt, tugging it away with a little difficulty.

"Why did you wear this bloody thing?" Arthur said as he finally pulled away the belt.

Francis chuckled, "To annoy you mon cher."

Arthur rolled his eyes, but moaned when Francis's tongue flicked over a nipple, his teeth grazing the sensitive bud.

"H~h~m." Arthur sighed, "That's good."

Francis licked the bud once more before moving on to the opposite one. He gave the same treatment that he'd given to it's partner, making both harden and perk up. Francis then began to move down, tongue dipping into the cute navel for a moment before traveling lower.

Arthur shifted his hips up to draw attention to his neglected cock, "If you're going to do it, get on it." he growled.

Francis chuckled and pulled a small bottle of lube out of his pocket. He coated his fingers liberally and pressing one against Arthur's entrance. He pushed his finger in and wrapped his mouth around Arthur's cock.

"O~o~h." Arthur moaned, trying to thrust up into that mouth and push those fingers in deeper at the same time.

Arthur tangled his fingers into Francis's hair, urging him to take in more. Francis obliged with the silent plea and deep throated the already leaking member.

"Ah!" Arthur cried as another finger joined the first. At that moment, Francis began humming the tune to 'Fairytale' and making Arthur nearly scream.

That last finger penetrated Arthur's hole, and Francis pulled away from the aching member. Arthur groaned his displeasure, looking pleadingly up at Francis.

"Now don't look at me like that mon cher. I just don't want you to finish too quickly." he said, scissoring and stretching his fingers until Arthur was ready.

Francis pulled his fingers out and shimmied out of his pants. Arthur spread his legs, wrapping them around Francis's waist as he settled between them. Francis spread lube on his neglected cock and positioned himself above Arthur.

"Are you ready mon cher?" he asked, panting slightly.

Arthur nodded, too overstimulated to say anything. Francis slowly pushed forward, filling Arthur to the brim. Arthur whined at the burning feeling that shot up his spine. Francis leaned down and kissed him, slowly, sweetly, lovingly. Arthur wrapped his arms around Francis's shoulders, pulling him closer. They continued to kiss as Francis fully buried himself in Arthur's heat. They pulled away, both panting hard.

"Arthur." Francis moaned, licking the shell of Arthur's ear.

"Hn! Francis." Arthur panted, shifting his hips, "Move." he demanded.

Francis smirked and pulled out slowly, then he sunk back in at the same pace. He continued to gently rock the two of them, not speeding up. Arthur groaned and bucked his hips.

"Faster." he growled, "Or I will flip us over and do it myself."

Francis laughed breathily and picked up the pace. Arthur groaned and began bucking back to meet him. They steadily picked up momentum, until Francis was slamming Arthur down into the mattress.

Francis hooked his arms under Arthur's knees and tugged them up changing the angle. Arthur cried out as his prostate was hit dead on.

"Oh God Francis." Arthur moaned.

Francis thrust into that spot again, "There?" he panted with a smirk.

Arthur groaned and arched his hips up into those thrusts, trying to get more friction. Francis unhooked his arm from one leg and trailed one hand down to squeeze Arthur's straining erection. Arthur cried out, his vision blurring from the overstimulation from both his prostate being battered and his cock being jerked off.

"Oh Francis." Arthur panted, squeezing his arms around Francis's shoulders.

Francis grunted and started thrusting harder, spurred on by Arthur's chanting his name over and over and over.

"That's right cher." he groaned, thrusting hard, "Say my name like that. O~h, mon dieu."

Arthur arched his back and came, splattering his come all over both of their chests and Francis's hand, "F-Francis!" he cried.

Francis buried his face in Arthur's neck and spilled himself into Arthur, coming with a muffled cry. They stayed like that for a moment before collapsing into a heap of tangled limbs. Francis rolled them over so Arthur was positioned on his chest. His hands came to rest on Arthur's shoulders, right over the wing tattoo's.

"You have made my fly Arthur." Francis whispered as they both came own from their high and settled into the afterglow.

"Bloody sap." Arthur mumbled.

Francis laughed, "You're so cute."

Seven months later, the five of them were attending Gilbert's little brother's wedding.

"Lovino!" Antonio cried, running over to a disgruntled looking Italian, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm at my brother's wedding to a potato bastard, what the fuck are you doing here?" Lovino growled.

Arthur was surprised, "You're related to the bride?"

Lovino growled and rounded on Arthur, "Don't call him that!" he shouted, "He's a man! But yes, I'm his twin."

Arthur watched the two exchange 'pleasantries' until a voice broke into his thoughts.

"Arthur aru?"

Arthur turned around to find the still ageless face of Yao staring at him in shock.

"Yao!" he cried, hugging his friend, "What are you doing here?"

Yao hugged him back, "My little brother Kiku is the best man aru."

Francis chuckled from his place beside Arthur, "What a small world." he observed.

Arthur rolled his eyes and continued to catch up with Yao. They talked about how Yao's little brothers were making amends with each other and the rest of the family, and how Arthur's book had become a best seller. They talked until a large blond was dragged over to them by the arm by Gilbert. They stopped in front of them and Gilbert proudly introduced them.

"Arthur, this is my little brother Ludwig. Ain't he cute?" Gilbert said, smiling.

'Cute' wouldn't be the word that Arthur called the huge man. He was tall and very muscular. He looked very annoyed with his brother's antics. Arthur had a hard time believing the two were even related. Where Gilbert was energetic and annoying, Ludwig was reserved and strict. He had pale blue eyes and slicked back blond hair, contrasting Gilbert's dark red eyes and messy white hair. The only thing to two seemed to share was the pale, freckle-less skin.

"Bruder." Ludwig groaned, his voice deep and resonating, "You don't have to introduce me to all of your friends at once. I have to go get ready for the ceremony."

"Psh." Gilbert snorted, "You've got plenty of time."

Ludwig sighed and nodded to Yao, "Good to see you again."

"And you aru." Yao said, bowing slightly.

"You two know each other?" Francis asked from his place where he'd been quietly listening.

"I'm a friend of his little brother." Ludwig explained.

A loud beeping filled the air and Ludwig checked his watch, "Shit!" he exclaimed, "The ceremony is starting in fifteen minutes!"

There was a scattered flurry of action as the bunch of them scrambled to their places. Francis, Arthur, Gilbert, Matthew, and Antonio (who had rejoined the group after Lovino shooed him away) took their seats and patiently waited. The ceremony started and all went well. They stood up as the 'bride', Feliciano Vargas, was led down the aisle by his grandfather. Arthur glanced at Ludwig, who was waiting nervously at the altar. He looked at Feliciano and smiled, a warm, affectionate smile, full of love and loyalty. Arthur smiled, now that was true love.

A hand squeezed his and Arthur turned to see Francis looking at him. He was looking at Arthur with the same expression that Ludwig had when he looked at Feliciano.

And Arthur's heart soared.

**Author Commentary:** Well, the ending could have been better, but I'm happy with this. It's not a very angsty story, but I'll save that for Gilbert's Story, which is next. Hope you liked it! Song is by Alexander Ryback.


	6. Heartbeat

**Author Commentary:** I'm back again! And I brought Gilbert with me! Yay! Okay that's enough, settle down.

**Character:** Gilbert

**Rating:** M

**Warnings:** Yaoi, Angst, Dark themes, Some sexual relations/references

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Hetalia, but my grandfather was German, so there!

Gilbert had always been the odd one out. His white hair and red eyes branded him as different, even within his own family. His grandfather, father and everyone besides him and his mother all had blue eyes and blond hair. Gilbert didn't mind though, he liked the fact that he stood out, like his mom, who shared his white hair and red eyes.

"We're special, you and me." she said to him once, brushing her hair in front of the mirror while he sat on her lap, "There's no one out quite like us."

"Really?" he asked.

She smiled down at him, "Of course! Who could be as special as my awesome little boy?"

"No one!" Gilbert cheered.

"That's right. And why are we special?" she asked.

"Because we're different!" Gilbert said, completing the game.

Gilbert really loved his mother. She was the only person in the world who understood what it was like to have people look at you differently. She was from a dirt poor family with more history in it's branches than there were members of the family. However, seeing as it was just Gilbert and his mom now, that wasn't a lot of members in the family. Still, they went all the way back to Prussia and Frederick the Great. They were even Prussian nobility once, even though the family had fallen into ruins during the First World War. That was fine though, since Gilbert's father's family was moderately well-off. They were a working family, and made their money on farms and construction sites. Gilbert's father was just like the rest of the family, blonde, blue eyed, and very tall and muscular. He loved his wife and son though, even though he had a hard time showing it.

"Come on, you can do it." Gilbert's father encouraged.

Gilbert slumped down, "But it's so hard!"

His father sighed, "You're just like you're mother."

Gilbert wondered what this statement meant. He knew he looked like his mother, what did that have to do with anything? He realized later that it meant that though he was stronger than you'd expect with his build, he wasn't strong like the Beilschmidt's were. His mother was skinny and sickly looking, but she could lift a hay-bale over her shoulder like it was nothing, but his father could lift two. That's okay, as long as he kept people guessing.

However, when he was six, two things happened.

Well, it was really three things, but one wasn't too important to him (coughBerlinwallcough).

The first thing to happen was his little brother, Ludwig, was born.

Ludwig looked like their father, blond hair and blue eyes. He was a big baby too. He was going to be big and strong like the rest of the family. Not like Gilbert, not like their mother.

"Isn't he cute?" his mother asked, after handing baby Ludwig to Gilbert.

"Yeah." Gilbert said nonchalantly, not sure how to react to this newcomer.

"Do you know what big brothers are for?" she asked, falling back onto the pillows.

"What?"

"They're for protecting their little brothers and sisters." she said, closing her eyes and sighing.

"Really?" Gilbert asked. He looked back down at the infant in his arms, who was now napping. Well, he was pretty cute.

Gilbert grew to love his little brother, and spent as much time as possible around him, trying to fulfill his duties as a big brother. He was able to spend lots of time with Ludwig however, since his mother still hadn't come home from the hospital, even though she was supposed to come home with Ludwig. That led to the second thing that happened to Gilbert when he was six.

His mother died.

"Why?!" Gilbert cried, tears streaming down his face as he clutched his mother's frail hand.

"I'm sorry." his mother said, her voice weak and trembling, "I really wish I could have lived to see you and Ludwig grow up, but my time here is up."

"But I don't want you to go!" Gilbert shouted stomping his foot childishly.

"Ssshhh." she hushed comfortingly, stroking the side of his face, "I'm not going to be around much longer, but you have to be strong for Ludwig okay? Up till now you've had me, but Ludwig won't have me, so you need to be there for him for me, okay?"

Gilbert nodded, "Okay." he said, still crying.

"Good boy." she said, "Now, why don't you come up here and sit with me until we fall asleep?"

Gilbert nodded again and climbed up onto the bed. They had brought her home for the last little bit of her life, so there were no doctors around to scold him. Gilbert crawled into her arms and laid his head on her chest, listening to his mothers heart, beating weakly in her chest. He didn't fall asleep though, like he normally would, he stayed awake and listened to the heart beat. His father would have been there too, but he was in West Berlin securing his family's transfer over. Gilbert listened to the steady beat, forcing himself to make sure his mother was still living.

Bu-bump.

Bu-bump.

Bu-bump.

Bu . . . . . .

"Muti?"

"Muti!?"

"MUTIIIIII!"

And so it went.

After that, they had her cremated and poured on the old site of the Berlin wall, just like she wanted (exact words; Keep me around till that damn wall falls, then spread me over the rubble so I can dance on the stupid thing for eternity), then moved to a place on the other side of the wall. Gilbert spent his time focused on Ludwig, trying to fill the emptiness his mother left behind. He got over it as best he could, but he would always stop whenever something reminded him of his mother.

Later that year, Gilbert, Ludwig, their father, and their grandfather Markus moved to France to live with Markus's brother's family. The Edelstein's were a rich Austrian family living in France because of their boy Roderich's health problems. Gilbert was excited to meet another boy his age at first, but their first meeting was less than stellar.

"Who are you?" the frail boy on the bed asked. He was tiny, smaller than Gilbert, even though they were the same age and Gilbert was a little short for his age. He had dark chocolate coloured hair that hung down in his face and one little curl sticking out the front. His eyes were the strangest shade of purple, but Gilbert thought nothing of it, seeing as his own eyes were ruby red. His full lips were accented by a mole sitting just under his lower lip on the left side.

"I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt, what's your name?" Gilbert asked.

"Roderich Edelstein." the boy answered back, "What are you doing here?"

"My grandpa told me to come play with you." Gilbert said walking around the bed to stand at Roderich's side.

"Well, I can't play, I have to stay in bed." Roderich said, crossing his arms and huffing.

Gilbert rolled his eyes, "Why can't you get out of bed? Don't your legs work?"

"I have weak health." Roderich explained.

Gilbert sighed and crawled up onto the bed, "Well then, we'll just play here."

Roderich squeaked, "Wha-what?! No! You can't play _here_!"

"Why the hell not?" Gilbert growled, getting annoyed with Roderich's attitude.

"This isn't a place to play, this is a place for me to rest." Roderich said.

Gilbert growled and slid off the bed. Damn kid was starting to become a thorn in his side, "Well, what the hell can you do?"

Roderich bristled, "Don't speak to me that way, you albino freak!"

"Don't call me that! It's not albinism!" Gilbert shouted back.

The shouting match continued until Roderich started to have problems breath and called for help. Gilbert was quickly pulled out of the room and scolded, even though it was Roderich who started it.

"Stupid kid." Gilbert growled, kicking a rock (he'd been sent outside as punishment for setting off Roderich's attack), "And now they all think it's my fault."

"Bonjour!" came a voice from beside Gilbert. It was a young blonde about his age. He smiled and began speaking in French.

"I am sorry. I do not speak French. I only speak German." Gilbert said in heavily accented French. It was the only French phrase he knew so far.

The other boy looked confused for a moment, then smiled and held out a football (soccer ball), "Jeu!" he said.

Gilbert looked down at the ball, thinking for a moment. Oh! The blonde wanted to play football with him! Gilbert smiled and stood up. He took the ball from the blonde and kicked it. The blonde smiled and chased after it, kicking it back to Gilbert. They played like this for a while, just kicking it back and forth, before another child came up to them.

"Juego!" he said, pointing to the ball.

Gilbert smiled and kicked the ball to the new boy. They played like this until it became too dark to play. They all stopped and smiled at one another.

"Francis Bonnefoy." the blonde said, pointing to himself.

"Gilbert Beilschmidt." Gilbert said, motioning to his (awesome) self.

"Antonio Fernandez Carriedo." the last boy said, picking up on the cycle.

Gilbert smiled at the other two boys. The blonde was a tad taller than him, and his hair was longer and curled at the ends. He had clear blue eyes and a hansom smile. The other boy was slightly burly looking, very tan, and had a mop of curly brown hair on his head. His green eyes and bright smile proudly showed his happiness to the other boys. They all waved goodbye and ran back to their homes.

"_Well, today wasn't a total loss."_ Gilbert thought as he sat down at the dinner table and proceeded to both feed Ludwig and himself.

Over the next few months, Gilbert, Francis, and Antonio all wound up being close friends, even though there was the obvious language barrier (Antonio could only speak Spanish and a little bit of English). Francis, however, attempted to combat this by teaching both Antonio and Gilbert French. It ended up in a mixture of all three boys trying to teach their respective languages to the others.

Which worked out quite well, actually.

The three boys ended up being able to communicate in their own language while still understanding each other, even though the conversations were trilingual. Antonio would say something in Spanish, Gilbert would answer in German, and Francis would pipe in with something in French. The adults around them were rather bewildered with how well the three of them managed to learn two new languages in such a short time, but the boys didn't pay any attention.

"So Gilbert." Francis asked, "Antonio's family has agreed to take my mother and I to England this summer. Would you like to come?"

Gilbert looked up, "Eh? You'd really like to take me with you?"

Antonio nodded, "My father wants to make me happy, and I told him I wanted to take my friends to a nice place. So he agreed to send us to England for the summer."

"Then why is Francis's mom coming?" Gilbert asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She wanted to be our guardian while we were over there, so Antonio's dad wouldn't have to send anyone." Francis explained.

Gilbert thought about it for a moment. The Edelstein family didn't seem to care if he was there or not, his grandfather seemed more interested in adult matters, and his father . . . wasn't doing so well. In fact, he hadn't been doing well since Gilbert's mother died. Ludwig wasn't a problem, seeing as he was only a baby, but Gilbert was basically his only caretaker, so he would have to come along.

"Alright, but only if my little bruder Ludwig can come." Gilbert said stubbornly.

"Your little brother? Why does he have to come?" Antonio asked.

Gilbert huffed, "I made a promise to my Muti." he said quietly.

"Oh that's right, I haven't seen your mother yet. Is she nice?" Antonio asked.

Gilbert stiffened, then said quietly, "She . . . was really nice . . . really, really, nice . . . you guys would have liked her."

Francis's eyes widened in understanding, but Antonio looked confused for a moment. Francis whispered something in his ear and Antonio looked like he was going to go into tears.

"I'm sorry Gilbert!" he cried, "I didn't mean to!"

Gilbert offered a shaky smile, "It's okay." he said, "Ah, I should go inside now. Ludwig will probably be waking up soon, and I have to get him something to eat."

The other boys nodded in understanding and watched Gilbert walk back to his house. Gilbert climbed the steps and walked inside. He climbed up the stairs to the bedrooms, passing Roderich's as he went. He stopped when he heard muffled giggling coming from inside.

"_Roderich giggling?"_ Gilbert thought, peeking through the part in the door, _"This I gotta see."_

"Stop squirming!" came a disgruntled voice, "Do you want me to get this stuff in your hair!?"

Roderich giggled again, "But it tickles Vash!"

Gilbert peered into the room. Roderich was sitting on the bed, his shirt off and a young blonde boy rubbing some sort of medicated cream on a red rash that was on Roderich's shoulder. The blonde, 'Vash' apparently, was trying to get Roderich to stay still while he gently rubbed the lotion into his skin, but Roderich was squirming around and prolonging the event.

"Friggen hold still!" Vash cried, grabbing Roderich's arms and forcefully pinning him down.

"But Vash." Roderich pouted (he could pout?), "If I make it last longer, we can spend more time together."

Gilbert nearly gagged and left the two lovebirds to their work. Roderich acting cute, never again did he want to see that. Gilbert walked into his little brothers room just as he was waking up.

That summer, they all went to London England and enjoyed themselves there. They ended up meeting a boy there. He was younger than the rest of them, but Francis seemed to like him. Gilbert didn't know any English yet, so he let Antonio and Francis do the talking/translating. The boy's name was Arthur Kirkland, or so it seemed, Gilbert didn't pay too much attention. He was a nice kid though. The group ended up spending most of their time in the little park close to Arthur's house, leaving Ludwig with Francis's mother.

"What did Arthur say?" Gilbert asked Francis.

"He wants to know if your hair colour is natural." Francis explained.

Gilbert huffed, "Of course it's natural!" he shouted, startling Arthur, who had no idea what he said.

Eventually, the summer ebbed away and Francis and Gilbert returned to France, while Antonio returned to Spain with promises to visit. They sent letters back and forth between the three of them (though Francis and Gilbert just wrote on one letter and sent it collectively) and were even allowed to call every so often. This cycle continued for many years. Gilbert and Francis would play together every day (and sometimes Francis would help out with Ludwig) and Antonio would visit whenever he could (his father had a lot of business trips to Paris, so he got to come over often). During the summer, they would all go to England and play with Arthur at their park. Ludwig slowly grew up, turning into a quiet young boy, despite how his brother was.

"Bruder." Ludwig asked, "Why do we speak one way in the house while we speak differently outside?"

"Because we're German." Gilbert answered, "And they're French."

"Why aren't we French?" Ludwig asked.

"Because we're different. And that makes us special." Gilbert said, remembering his mother as he did so.

Ludwig nodded and went on about his business, or what ever business a four year old could have. Maybe he was going to listen to Roderich play the piano. And boy could Roderich play the piano. He was considered a musical genius, and was put into expensive lessons to improve his skills. Gilbert could care less about the little shit. He was annoying, always acting as if Gilbert was an infestation in his house. How rude! He was family! The only other child Gilbert ever saw Roderich acting nice with was Vash, and he was a maid's son! Gilbert wasn't too sure of their relationship, but it was obvious that Roderich adored Vash's company. Gilbert decided early on to just leave them to their own business, since they obviously didn't want to be friends.

When Gilbert was thirteen, his father decided to move to Italy.

They had enough money now, and the Edelstein's weren't masking their dislike of Gilbert and his brash ways. Gilbert's father finally decided enough was enough and took his sons to Italy. When Gilbert told his friends the news, they were less than thrilled with the development.

"You can't leave!" Francis cried, "Who will play with me?"

"I'm not happy about it either." Gilbert said, "But my dad say's that I have no choice in the matter."

Antonio through his arms around Gilbert, "Don't worry!" he cried, tears forming in his eyes, "I'll get my father to let all of us play together!"

True to his word, Antonio found ways for all of them to play together. It took some work, but they managed to work out a long distance friendship, and they still went to England each summer. Ludwig, apparently, really liked Italy.

"Hey you." Gilbert said as Ludwig came racing into the house, face flushed, "Where have you been?"

"N-nowhere." Ludwig said, then scrambled up to his room, a slight smile on his face.

Gilbert looked after the boy and shrugged. Ludwig was growing up, and Gilbert had no place in the inner workings of the boy's outside life.

That summer, Antonio told them something odd.

"I think I like boys more than girls." Antonio said, watching Arthur tiredly walk home from the park.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Francis asked.

Antonio didn't answer right away, instead narrowed his eyes, as if in deep thought, "I can't remember the word for it." he said finally.

"Gay." Gilbert said, "Or homosexual, or something."

"Ah! Yeah! That was the one!" Antonio said excitedly, but then his face fell a little, "My father says homosexuals are a sin."

Gilbert reached over and ruffled Antonio's hair, "Well, whatever you are, you're the farthest thing from a sin." he said, for once not minding being all mushy.

Francis hugged Antonio, "You're a blessing! Non, an angel!" he shouted.

They all laughed at that. Antonio still had issues with his new 'identity', but he tried his best to work it out. Instead, the three of them focussed on enjoying themselves with Arthur in that little park. A year later, when they were fifteen, Francis announced himself to bisexual, which actually wasn't a surprise to anyone (Francis had found a talent in 'flirting', and decided that it shouldn't be restricted to girls). Gilbert found he didn't really care what gender it was, but he preferred girls to boys (more for appearances than anything else).

When Gilbert was sixteen, his father died.

It was a normal day, just like any other day in Italy. Ludwig was out with his little 'girlfriend' (not really, what kind of ten year old, especially a ten year old like Ludwig, had a girlfriend?) and Gilbert had spent the morning talking to Antonio and Francis on the phone (three way calling was a wonderful thing). His father was upstairs, like he always was lately, so Gilbert paid him no mind, he'd been acting strangely anyway. However, when Ludwig came home, their father still hadn't reappeared, and Gilbert was beginning to worry. It was obvious to Gilbert that their father favoured Ludwig over him. Gilbert guessed it was because Gilbert looked so much like his late wife that it brought back bad memories (that, and Ludwig was better behaved, and he was well on his way to becoming big and strong, like a true Beilschmidt), so he sort of understood (though he wasn't too happy about it). So when Ludwig came home with a scraped knee, the fact that their father didn't come down and make a fuss worried Gilbert.

"I'll go up and check on him." Ludwig said, climbing up the stairs.

Gilbert rolled his eyes, "The old bugger probably just fell asleep." he said, but that did nothing to quench his anxiety.

A few minutes later, Ludwig came running down the steps, screaming for Gilbert. Gilbert leapt out of his chair, ignoring it clattering to the floor, and rushed to Ludwig's side.

"What wrong?!" Gilbert asked frantically.

"Vati is dead!" Ludwig cried, burying his face in Gilbert's shirt.

True to his word, they found their father hanging from the ceiling, dead. Gilbert called the police and let them take care of it while he calmed Ludwig down. Gilbert answered the police officers questions, asking to call his grandfather, who was now their legal guardian.

The three of them ended up where they started, in Berlin Germany. The city was all fixed up now, and the wall was gone. Gilbert still managed to communicate with Antonio and Francis via cellphone and long distance plan (courtesy of Antonio), and he even saw them more often (since Antonio's father had expanded his company into Germany, now that it was united and free). being back in Germany and hearing German all around him every day was slightly nostalgic for Gilbert, who still remembered the days when he had spoke only German and was surrounded by German culture. He found himself visiting the old site of the Berlin wall often, where his mother's ashes had been dumped. A few months after moving home to Germany, Gilbert met someone who probably changed his life forever.

Gilbert kicked a chunk of rock. Today stunk. His letter from Francis was late and his cellphone died. Gilbert growled and kicked another chunk of rock, watching it skitter down the street and bounce off someone's shoe.

"_Oops."_ Gilbert thought, _"Didn't mean to do that."_ "Sorry sir!" he called down the street.

The man looked up at him. He had sliver gray hair that was pulled back into a low ponytail by a black ribbon and blue eyes. He was middle aged, and was beginning to wrinkle a bit, but he still retained an odd youthfulness around him. The man was tall and lanky looking, but the way he carried himself, confidently and with pride gained from wisdom, told that he could probably hold his own in a fight.

"Why must you kick rocks at old men?" the man asked, his voice stern, but not harsh.

"I didn't know it would hit you. And I do it all the time. And today's been really crappy." Gilbert said.

The man rolled his eyes, something Gilbert had never seen an adult dressed as nicely as this man ever do, "And you don't have anything better to do?"

Gilbert growled, "I would, but I only just moved back here."

The man looked at him strangely, "Back?"

Gilbert nodded, "From Italy."

"Was it nice there?" the man asked.

"Guess so. Not as nice as France, too warm." Gilbert answered honestly.

"You lived in France as well?" he seemed surprised.

"And I go to England every summer." Gilbert said proudly.

The man looked mildly impressed, but overall he still came off as bored with the world in general. He stood there for a moment, as if deciding something, then said, "Would you like to come over for tea, young man?"

Gilbert snorted, "No way, I just met you. You could be a crazy rapist person."

The man laughed, "Smart lad." he said, then held out his hand, "I'm Frederick."

Gilbert took the offered hand, "Gilbert Beilschmidt."

Frederick looked surprised for a moment, "Beilschmidt? Are you from Markus's family?" he asked.

"Markus is my grandfather. You know him?" Gilbert asked.

Frederick shook his head, "Not personally, but I knew his daughter in law."

Gilbert thought for a moment. His grandfather only had one son, so that must mean . . . oh!

"You knew my mother?" Gilbert asked, disbelieving.

"Ah-ha!" Frederick said, "I knew you looked familiar. You look exactly like her. How is she doing lately? I haven't seen her since the wedding."

Gilbert's heart throbbed. He knew the man meant well, but it still hurt, "She . . . died, just after the wall fell. Complications with birthing my little brother." he said quietly.

Frederick looked stricken, "Oh . . . I'm so sorry."

Gilbert tried to smile, but came off as more of a grimace, "It's all right. It was a long time ago."

After that, the two of them met up at later times. It was mostly Frederick telling Gilbert stories about his mother and Prussian history (he was a history teacher that specialized in Prussian history).

"So Frederick the Great was really something, huh?" Gilbert asked, sipping his tea.

"That's one way to put it." Frederick said.

Gilbert thought for a moment, "You're name is Frederick, can I call you Old Fritz?"

Frederick laughed, "You really are your mother's son!"

"Huh?" Gilbert looked confused.

"She asked me the same thing when we first met." Frederick explained.

Gilbert felt a rush of pride. Then something occurred to him, "How did you two meet anyway?"

Frederick leaned back in his seat, "I was looking for an old Prussian Crest out of personal curiosity. I finally tracked it down to her family and decided to pay her a visit, maybe even buy it off of her. When I brought up the fact that I'd like to buy it, she threw her teacup at me."

Gilbert laughed, "That defiantly sounds like something Muti would do."

Frederick laughed as well, "When she got married, she gave it to me as a goodbye present."

"Can I see it?" Gilbert asked.

Frederick nodded and got up, walking off into the house. Gilbert took the opportunity to look at the various things in the room. His eyes came to rest on a picture of Frederick and his mother standing side by side. She was wearing worn out clothing and her trademark grin. Frederick was wearing prim clothing and was barely smiling at all. Standing next to one another, they looked completely mismatched. Gilbert noticed that Frederick was holding a violin in his hands, while his mother brandished the bow like a sword.

"Here it is." Frederick said, coming back into the room with a small box in his hand.

"You play the violin?" Gilbert asked, pointing to the photo.

"And the guitar and the piano." Frederick said, holding out the box.

Gilbert took the box and opened it. Inside was a small metal crest, the kind that was pinned to your jacket. It had the Prussian Eagle and was surrounded by a rose-like flower. It was very pretty, and looked like the type of thing a general or head of the family would wear.

"You can keep that if you like." Frederick said.

Gilbert looked up, "No, I couldn't." he said, offering it back to Frederick.

Frederick shook his head, "It's supposed to be yours anyway. You and your little brother are the last of your mother's family, so it should be past down to you."

Gilbert hesitated a moment, then pulled the little crest back toward himself. He smiled and put it back in it's box, then slipped it into his pocket, "Thanks, Old Fritz."

Fritz rolled his eyes but smiled at Gilbert, "Your welcome."

"So you play music right? Did my mother listen?" Gilbert asked.

Fritz nodded, "She really liked to watch me play the violin and the guitar. Not so much the piano though."

Gilbert shuffled his feet a bit, "Yeah, I don't really like the piano either. But, um . . . could you teach me the violin and the guitar?"

"Of course." Fritz said, smiling.

At first, Gilbert had difficulty with the instruments, but after a while, he began to find the rhythm in the instruments. Gilbert refused to learn the piano, mostly because it brought too many memories of his time in France and that sickly cousin of his. That summer, he had a grand idea.

"Hey you guys, we should start a band." Gilbert said.

Antonio tilted his head to the side, "A band? I didn't know you had any musical skills."

"Someone's been teaching me." Gilbert said, "I can play the guitar and the violin now."

Francis looked thoughtful, "Well, I can play the piano and guitar. And Antonio can play drums and bass. It just might work out."

Gilbert stood up on the park table, "Yeah! We'll start a band and it'll be the best thing the world has ever seen!"

They all laughed at that. They did, however, try to make the band work. It was difficult with everyone in a different country, but they managed to make a few songs. Eventually, the band fell apart. The distance between then was just too great, and they weren't able to see each other as often as they would like. Gilbert still stuck with his music lessons though, refining his skills for both instruments.

When Gilbert turned twenty three, he was invited to Roderich's wedding.

"Please behave yourself bruder." Ludwig begged, already taller than Gilbert, even though he was only seventeen.

"Yeah yeah." Gilbert said, hefting his guitar case further up on his shoulder while getting a better grip on the violin case in his hand.

"_This stinks, I can't even see Francis because the stupid bugger moved to Austria."_ Gilbert thought, wondering what sort of woman would marry a weak person like Roderich.

That woman turned out to be Elizaveta Hedervary.

She was a pretty young girl, with long brown hair and pretty green eyes. She was constantly smiling, but that might be because this was her wedding day. She seemed like a nice, pleasant girl, easy to get along with.

That is, if you weren't Gilbert.

"Hey Roddy!" Gilbert called, waving, "How ya been?"

Roderich groaned and rolled his eyes, "Hello Gilbert."

Gilbert threw an arm around Roderich's shoulders, "Man did you ever get tall! It's been a while, hasn't it cuz?"

"Not long enough." Roderich said, removing Gilbert's arm from his shoulder.

"Roderich!" a young woman called, walking around the corner, "Oh there you are, and with a friend to!"

"Elizaveta." Roderich said softly, "This is my cousin Gilbert." he said, not so softly.

Elizaveta giggled, "Nice to meet you, I'm Elizaveta Hedervary, Roderich's fiance. Oops! I mean wife."

Gilbert held out his hand, "Nice to meet you, pretty lady."

Elizaveta shook his hand, "Nice to meet you too."

Gilbert smiled and didn't let go of her hand, running his thumb over her soft skin, "It's not often I can meet such a pretty lady. Especially hanging around Roddy here."

"I'm standing right here Gilbert, stop flirting with my wife." Roderich said, clearly annoyed.

Gilbert stuck out his tongue at Roderich, "Shut up, maybe I can woo her away from you, Roddy." he said with a smile.

Quite suddenly, Elizaveta ripped her hand away and struck Gilbert across the face with it, "You horrible man! I would never leave Roderich."

Gilbert brought his own hand up to his face, touching the now tender cheek, "Ow! What the hell you crazy bitch! I was kidding!"

Elizaveta brought her hand back up to slap Gilbert again, but Gilbert stopped it before it could connect, "Listen here you." he growled, "I have no qualms with hitting girls, so I wouldn't do that again."

"Gilbert!" Roderich cried, "Unhand her at once!"

Gilbert growled again and released her wrist, stalking off to take his seat next to his grandfather and his little brother. Throughout the whole ceremony, Gilbert was sour. What a crazy girl, who the hell hits someone who's obviously kidding. Stupid woman couldn't take a joke. And Roderich not being understanding of his side. Maybe he really would seduce Elizaveta, just to get on the bastards nerves. Or maybe not, that woman was crazy, she'd probably give him more bruises than her husband would.

Later, when Gilbert finally returned to Germany, he got some shocking news.

Fritz was dying.

"You stupid old bugger! You can't die on me too!" Gilbert shouted.

Fritz gave a hacking cough, "Sorry Gilbert, I know how this is for you." he said, his voice shaking, "But you have to let go, okay? I'm not going to be here for much longer."

Gilbert looked down at his feet, "Then . . . can I rest my head over your heart? I know it's stupid, but . . . I did the same for my mother."

Fritz smiled, "Go ahead."

Gilbert sat down beside the hospital bed and rested his head on Fritz chest, listening to his heart beat. It was slowly declining, making Gilbert's heart speed up. He knew Fritz's end was near, but it still made his heart throb painfully. His mother, his father, and now Fritz. Why did he always lose people? It wasn't fair. He sighed and listened to Fritz's heart slow.

Bu-bump.

Bu-bump.

Bu-bump.

Bu . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . *sob*

Later at the funeral, Gilbert made up his mind. The band might have fallen through, but now they were men, and they could do whatever the hell they wanted. He knew that Francis was trying to become a chef, but he could also tell that it was tiring him out, and he hated his teacher and his classmates. Antonio was trying to succeed his father's business, but his sexuality was starting to become more prominent as he got older, and his father was beginning to suspect things. It was well known among them that Antonio's father hated homosexuals and was very prejudiced against them, and Antonio could only crack under the pressure. So Gilbert decided he would pull them out of whatever they were doing, whether forcefully or not, and bring the band back together.

"Hey Francis." Gilbert said into his phone, "You in class right now?"

"Yes, so I can't talk." Francis grumbled.

"I thought you got a hands free headset phone for Christmas?" Gilbert asked, leaning against his car.

"Yes I did." Francis answered curtly.

"Swanky place you're studying though. I like the red brick motif." Gilbert said.

" . . . . . . . . You're actually here?" Francis asked.

Gilbert in fact, was standing outside some Culinary Arts university in France, waiting for Francis to come out. He knew he got the right university because Francis had been so excited when he was first accepted.

"Yup! Listen Francis, I'm getting the band together again, and I need you. I know this whole chef thing is wearing you down, so what do you say? Come join me?" Gilbert asked, letting Francis mull it over in his head.

A long moment passed, then Francis took a deep breath and said, "All right."

Gilbert smiled, "Good."

A few minutes later, Francis was walking down the steps to Gilbert's car. He was wearing typical chef's wear and his long hair was pulled back into a pony tail. He hugged Gilbert and the two of them got into the car without a word.

"So now we go get Antonio." Gilbert said, grinning.

"Actually, I'd like to make a quick trip first, if that's alright." Francis said, tearing off the chefs coat he was wearing, "It'll only be a day or two."

Gilbert groaned loudly and rolled his eyes, "You're going to visit your little English cactus, aren't you?"

Francis huffed, "What would give you that idea?"

"I don't know, the fact that you're head over heels in love with the little bugger." Gilbert said, "And the fact that you kissed him when you last saw him."

Francis huffed again but didn't say anything. They hadn't been to England since their graduating year and even Antonio could tell that Francis was missing young Arthur, who would be twenty this year. Gilbert ended up waiting two days for Francis to get his shit together and see Arthur again (he came back looking oddly satisfied), then they began making the trip south to Spain, where Antonio was. Luckily Gilbert took auto's in high school and knew how to fix a car (Ludwig was better at it though, he even wanted to be a mechanic, and was going to study in Italy), so they didn't have to pay for maintenance. They made it to Antonio's place and waited around for a few days, giving Antonio plenty of time to think about their offer.

Gilbert was in the kitchen, waiting for Francis to finish cooking lunch when the phone rang.

"Hello." Gilbert said, answering the phone.

"It's me." came Antonio from the other side, "I'm in."

"Awesome!" Gilbert cried, "When can we pick you up?"

"Now would be nice." Antonio said.

Gilbert paused for a moment, "Did something happen?"

"No." Antonio answered, too quickly, "I'm fine."

"O . . . kay then. Well pick you up in a few minutes, we're having lunch." Gilbert said.

"Alright, see you in a bit." Antonio said.

"Yeah, see ya." Gilbert said, then hung up.

Gilbert and Francis finished their lunch, then drove to Antonio's family's estate. The house was huge, a mansion really. They waited out front, having called a moment earlier. After a moment, Antonio walked out the front, carrying all of his things and tossing them into the car. His father walked out of the house and began to yell at him, but Antonio only hopped into the car.

"Drive." he ordered.

Gilbert hesitated a moment, then turned on the car and drove off, narrowly avoiding a rock thrown by Antonio's father. The car was silent for a while, the air tense. Antonio's usual cheerfulness was gone, and it was unnerving to both Francis and Gilbert, who were used to seeing Antonio all smiles and positive energy.

"So . . . What was that all about?" Gilbert asked, finally breaking the heavy silence.

Antonio didn't answer for a long moment, "My father found out." Antonio said, "He's really angry."

"Well." Francis said, "It would have happened sooner or later."

"It doesn't make any less hurtful." Antonio said quietly.

The rest of the car ride was spent in silence. Antonio continued to be depressed all throughout the week, even when they arrived in Madrid. Both Gilbert and Francis were shocked when Antonio told them that Sunday that he didn't want to go to church.

"But, you go every Sunday." Francis said, sitting next to Antonio on the couch.

"I don't feel up to it." Antonio sighed.

"But you love the whole church thing." Gilbert insisted.

Antonio stood up, "I just don't want to go today okay!" he shouted, "In fact, fuck the church!" he cried, tearing the ornate silver cross from his neck and tossing it to the ground. He grabbed his coat and walked toward the door, "I'm going for a walk." he said before slamming the door to the hotel room.

Francis looked over at Gilbert, his expression worried, "Do you think he'll be okay?"

Gilbert shrugged, "Who knows, but if we're going to make music, we need to get him back to normal."

Over the next month, Gilbert and Francis did all they could to get Antonio's spirits back up. It was no use however, since Antonio refused to come out of his depression. He continued to refuse to go to church, and even went as far as to curse God him/herself _(AN; I personally don't believe in God, but I think that if there is some form of higher being, it wouldn't have a true 'gender', as it represents all of life, not just male or female [and if anyone disagrees with that, or finds my belief offensive, I'm sorry, but that's how I feel])_. But then one day, when Antonio came back from his daily 'walk', he was practically floating.

"What happened to you?" Gilbert asked, "You look like you just scored big time."

"I think I met an angel." Antonio said dreamily.

Francis looked over, "An angel? I thought you didn't believe anymore."

Antonio shook his head vigorously, "But this person, he can't be anything but an angel! He's shown me the light again, and he's so beautiful!" Antonio said, smiling the whole time, "Dios mio, I think I'm in love."

"How can you be in love? You just met this guy." Gilbert said.

Francis wrapped his arms around Gilbert from behind, "Mon amore! Do not question love! If our beloved Antonio believes himself to be in love, than we must support him!"

Gilbert sighed and looked into the eager faces of his two best friends, "Fine, but if you go stalker crazy, I'm going to clock you." he threatened Antonio.

Over the next few months, Antonio saw more of his 'angel' and the group finally started to produce music. Gilbert did a lot of the music writing while Francis helped and Antonio worked on the marketing arrangements (because of his experience with his father's company). They all collectively wrote lyrics, agreeing that they would switch around instruments and vocals, to keep things interesting (and because no other band had ever done it before). They only thing they hadn't decided on was the name for their band.

"I think the Bad Touch Trio works." Francis said.

"What about the Bad Friends Trio?" Antonio suggested.

Gilbert growled, "No, neither of those two really 'click'. Bad Touch doesn't wok because it sounds too lewd, and that's not all the band is about. Bad Friends is even worse because it makes us sound like we're not good friends, which we are." Gilbert explained, proud that he'd had such a smart moment (for some reason people didn't think he had those often).

"Well, the Bad something Trio doesn't work either, so I suggest we pick one." Francis said, leaning back in his chair.

Gilbert growled and leaned forward, "Well, **I** don't want this band to screw up." he spat at the Frenchman.

"Are you suggesting that I'm not pulling my weight in the band?" Francis said, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

"You're free to interpret that statement however you like." Gilbert said, smirking and leaning back in his chair.

"Why you-!"

"Bad Company Trio!"

Both Francis and Gilbert stopped their argument and looked over at Antonio, from whom the outburst came from, "What?" they said together.

"We should name the band Bad Company Trio!" Antonio said nervously, obviously trying to keep the peace between the two warring friends.

"That . . . is actually a good name." Gilbert said.

"I agree." Francis said, "It basically says, 'We're not the best people to be around', and that's pretty much what we are."

"So it's decided!" Antonio said excitedly, "We are the Bad Company Trio!"

The three of them debated for another hour, but they couldn't find another name that fit as well as the Bad Company Trio. After a while, they finally booked some time in a small bar. They were to only play one song, but it was enough to get all three of them excited.

"Our first gig!" Gilbert cried, "Man, this is going to be awesome!"

"Si! I can't wait!" Antonio said, "Ah! I should call Lovino and tell him!"

"I heard a lot of scouts go to that bar, maybe we'll get lucky." Francis mused.

It was a whole two weeks away, but the Bad Company Trio started refining and working on the song they were going to perform. Gilbert was going to sing and play the guitar, Antonio was on drums, and Francis was on bass (he had since expanded into other areas of music, so he could play nearly any position in the band, along with Antonio) for this set. The lyric were by Gilbert, hence the reason he was singing.

They filled each day with practice, and soon it was time to go on stage.

"This is it!" Francis said, slinging an arm around both of his friend's shoulders, "Let's make it happen!"

Antonio nodded, "Yeah! I'll have to do my best!"

"We'll all have to do our best if we want a scout to pick up on us." Gilbert said.

Antonio nodded, "Si! But I have to do extra good because Lovi's in the audience."

They all laughed and finally, _finally_, walked out on stage. The crowd let out a cheer and waited for them to get into position. Gilbert walked up to the front and center, his palms sweating and making his hands slid a little on the guitar in his hand. He adjusted the mic and took a deep breath.

"Hey everyone!" he said in his normal, confident voice, "You ready for some real talent?"

The crowd cheered and clapped, showing their support.

Gilbert laughed, "Well, we've got a special treat for you! We're the Bad Company Trio and we're here to blow you away!" he shouted, watching the crowd go into another round of cheering.

Gilbert took another deep breath and looked behind him at his two best friends in the whole world. Antonio smiled at him while Francis flashed a thumbs up. Gilbert smiled back before turning back to the audience and beginning the intro.

His finger's, at first, nearly didn't cooperate and Gilbert almost missed a note. Then the world melted away and it was only him and the music, just like it always seemed to be. The lyrics slipped effortlessly out, filling the air around him.

_Dead man lying on the bottom of the grave_

_Wondering when Savior comes_

_Is he gonna be saved_

_Maybe you're a sinner into your alternate life_

_Maybe you're a joker maybe you deserve to die_

_They were crying when their sons left_

_God is wearing black_

_He's gone so far to find no hope _

_He's never coming back_

_They were crying when their sons left_

_All young men must go_

_He's come so far to find the truth_

_He's never going home_

_Young men standing on the top of their own graves_

_Wondering when Jesus comes_

_Are they gonna be saved_

_Cruelty to the winner, Bishop tells the King his lies_

_Maybe you're a mourner, maybe you deserve to die_

_They were crying when their sons left_

_God is wearing black_

_He's gone so far to find no hope_

_He's never coming back_

_They were crying when their sons left_

_All young men must go_

_He's come so far to find no truth_

_He's never going home_

_Welcome to the Soldier Side_

_Where there's no one here but me_

_People all grow up to die_

_There is no one here but me_

_Welcome to the Soldier Side_

_There is no one here but me_

_People on the soldier's side_

_There is no one here but me_

Gilbert finished singing and opened his eyes. The crowd was quiet a moment, then the entire room erupted in a round of cheers and clapping. They loved them! Gilbert smiled and raised his fist in the air, silently thanking everyone in his life. His mother, his brother, his friends, Old Fritz, and even his stick in the mud grandfather. They thanked the audience and went to leave the stage when someone called out.

"Encore!" rang out in the room. Suddenly everyone was shouting, asking for more.

Gilbert smiled at his friends and said, "Well, should he give them what they want?"

They all shared a grin and walked back out on stage. This time Antonio took the mic and played bass while Francis played the drums and Gilbert played the guitar.

_She takes her time with the little things_

_Love notes reminding me_

_She wears red when she's feeling hot_

_I have her but that's all I've got_

_She looks best without her clothes_

_I know it's wrong but that's THE WAY IT GOES_

_I don't know what she sees in me_

_But I'm happy that she's happy now_

_That she's with me_

_And I'm freakin' out_

_Because I'm just so lucky_

_Oh she makes me feel like shit_

_It's always something_

_But I can't get over it_

_She thinks it's nothing_

_Because she's_

_Everything I ask for_

_Everything I ask for_

_And just a little bit more_

_Everything I ask for_

_Everything I ask for_

_And so much more_

_She loves music but she hates my band_

_Loves Prince she's his biggest fan_

_She's not big on holding hands_

_But that's alright cause I've still got her_

_She keeps up on current affairs_

_PRADA IS WHAT SHE WEARS!_

_I don't know what she sees in me_

_But I'm happy that she's happy now_

_That she's with me_

_And I'm freakin' out_

_Because I'm just so lucky_

_Oh she makes me feel like shit_

_It's always something_

_But I can't get over it_

_She thinks it's nothing_

_Because she's_

_Everything I ask for_

_Everything I ask for_

_And just a little bit more_

_Everything I ask for_

_Everything I ask for_

_And so much more_

_Fist fights turn into sex_

_I wonder what comes next_

_She loves to always keep me guessing_

_And she! (SHE!)_

_Won't! (WON'T)_

_Give it up._

_And we! (WE!)_

_Both (BOTH)_

_know it's because..._

_Oh she makes me feel like shit_

_It's always something_

_But I can't get over it_

_She thinks it's nothing_

_Because she's_

_Everything I ask for_

_Everything I ask for_

_And just a little bit more_

_Everything I ask for_

_Everything I ask for_

_And just a little bit more_

_Everything I ask for_

_Everything I ask for_

_And so much more_

_Everything I ask for_

_Everything I ask for_

_And so much more_

They finished the song and got down off the stage, the cheers from the audience echoing in their heads. They all shared a glance, smiling from ear to ear, and let out whoops and cheers of their own.

"They loved us!" Antonio shouted, throwing his arms around both Antonio and Francis, who hugged him back.

"We did so awesome!" Gilbert cried, throwing his arms up.

"And I was worried." Francis said, chuckling.

They continued to cheer for themselves until someone cleared their throat from behind him. They looked around to see a slender young man, late teens at best, standing at the end of the hallway by the door. He had amber coloured eyes, chocolate-laced-with-cinnamon hair, and a scowling expression on his round face.

"Lovino!" Antonio cried, breaking from the group hug and rushing over to the young man, "Did you like the performance?"

'Lovino's' scowl deepened, "It was all right." he said flippantly, as if he couldn't care less.

"Did you like my song? I wrote it for you." Antonio said, looking like a puppy who was waiting for a treat.

Lovino only huffed, "It was all right." he said again, "You owe me lunch."

Antonio nodded, "Si si! I'll pick you up tomorrow at noon, okay?"

"You better." Lovino growled, turning and walking away. Just as he was about to turn the corner, he turned around and shouted, "And I'm not Prince's biggest fan! You bastard!" then disappeared around the corner.

Antonio waved, "Bye Lovi!" he called.

Gilbert snorted, "That was your angel? Seemed more like a little devil to me."

Francis nudged Gilbert in the ribs, "Everyone has their own opinion, and Antonio happens to think Lovino is his angel, however misguided the thought is." he said snickering alongside Gilbert.

Antonio tilted his head, "But Lovi is so sweet. He helped me find faith again."

Francis and Gilbert rolled their eyes, "Come on lover boy." Gilbert said, "Let's go get some drinks."

For the next few months, they continued to do small gigs. They got approached by a few scouts, but they only promised that they'd think about it. The people loved them dammit! They deserved a bit more than some nameless agency. They were finally approached by a large, International talent agency. They agreed to take in the Bad Company Trio and release their songs all over Europe. The Bad Company Trio jumped on it right away, seeing the benefits that the agency offered.

"We're moving up!" Gilbert said excitedly, "I should call Ludwig and tell him!" he said, pulling out his phone.

Gilbert dialed the number and waited for his little brother to pick up.

"Hello?" came the deep voice of his little brother.

"Bruder!" Gilbert said cheerily, "We did it!"

"Really?" Ludwig sounded surprised, "That's great."

"Yeah, we got sighed in with this big International agency. We're reaching for the stars Ludwig!" Gilbert said excitedly.

"I'm very proud of you bruder." Ludwig said, his pride showing in his voice.

The Bad Company Trio continued to gain fame throughout Europe over the next two years. As the band began to reach out into the America's, their manager came to them with a proposal.

"A Canada tour?" Antonio asked.

"Yes." their manager said, "You'll go across Canada on a tour. You'll visit all of the big cities and some smaller communities. It'll take a year or so, but it'll be great for you're band."

Gilbert leaned back in his chair. Canada? Wouldn't the US be better? It had more money and people, but you had to start somewhere, right?

"Give us a minute to talk about it." Gilbert said.

"Certainly." their manager said, leaving the room.

Antonio leaned forward, "Wow, our first tour. How exciting!"

"Should we really take this?" Gilbert asked, "Canada isn't really on my list of places to see."

"What are you talking about Gilbert?" Francis said, "Canada is a nice place. The people are very nice."

"You've been to Canada?" Antonio asked.

"I have family there. Oh we can see Matthew if we go!" Francis said.

Gilbert sighed, "I guess we go to Canada then."

A month later, they landed in Ottawa.

"I can't wait to see mon petit Matthew again, it's been so long." Francis said, as they walked out of the baggage claim, "He said he'd wait for us outside."

"Why didn't he come inside to pick us up?" Gilbert asked.

"He doesn't really like crowds. He's very, um . . . meek. So he gets swept away easily." Francis explained.

Gilbert groaned, "And we're spending a week with this guy?" he said, rolling his eyes.

Antonio punched him in the shoulder, "Be nice to him. You don't know what he's like."

"Thank you Antonio." Francis said.

Gilbert grumbled and walked out of the airport. Francis led them into the large parking lot and down the walkway. It took a half an hour, but they finally found the right car.

"Matthew!" Francis said, jogging up to the young man standing next to the car, "How have you been, mon petit lapin?"

A cute giggle from the young man, "I've been doing well Francis, thank you."

Francis smiled and wrapped an arm around Matthew's shoulder, "Everyone, this is my cousin Matthew Williams."

Matthew was, for lack of a better description, stunningly adorable. He had soft blond hair that was styled similar to Francis's, except that it was slightly curlier and he had this one strand that stuck out at the front. He had big, blue-violet eyes, pale, snowy skin, and a thin, frail looking form. Or maybe he only looked frail, seeing as he was dressed in a baggy hoodie and worn out jeans. Gilbert felt his face heat up, but shook it away. No way was he going to act unawesome around some little dorky Canadian!

Matthew smiled at them and extended his hand, "Hi, it's nice to meet you."

Gilbert stood there, frozen, but Antonio reach forward and took Matthew's hand, "Nice to meet you too, I'm Antonio Fernandez Carriedo." he said.

Matthew giggled again and extended his hand to Gilbert, "Hello, what's your name?"

Gilbert snapped out of his trance and gripped Matthew's hand in his, "I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt, but you can call me 'Gilbert the Awesome'."

Matthew laughed, "I think I'll just stick with 'Gilbert'." he said.

they all climbed into the car and drove to Matthew's apartment, Francis chatting with Matthew the entire time. Gilbert didn't say anything, but he listened to the whole conversation, picking things up about Matthew. Apparently, Matthew was an artistic photographer with dreams of seeing the world. He'd also lived in the USA while in high school, but had moved back after. Matthew also had a twin named Alfred, who still lived in the USA, even though they had both been born in Canada. Gilbert had no idea why he was so interested in the young blonde, but he passed it off as just curiosity for someone as cute as Matthew (anyone could see he was adorable).

They stayed with Matthew for a week before they had to head out on their tour. Francis decided it would be nice to invite Matthew along for the ride.

"E-eh? You want me to go with you?" Matthew asked, "I'm flattered, but won't I be a nuisance?"

Francis laughed, "Heavens no! Your welcome to travel with us, right guys?"

Antonio nodded vigorously and Gilbert shrugged, still not sure how to act around the blonde (he'd been trying to avoid talking to him). Matthew smiled, making Gilbert's heart flutter.

"Well, if you're sure." he said.

In the end, Matthew joined them on heir tour, deciding to become the unofficial photographer for the Bad Company Trio. 'Just think of me like a groupie, or something.' he said jokingly. Though Gilbert tried to avoid Matthew, he found himself sharing a room with him for some reason.

"I'm sorry you had to be stuck with me Gilbert." Matthew said quietly.

Gilbert shook his head, "It's fine." he said.

Matthew smiled at him, "I know you don't like me, but I'll try not to bother you."

Gilbert turned to Matthew, "Why would you think I didn't like you?" he asked.

Matthew's smile turned sad, "You keep avoiding me. I'm sorry if you don't like me, so I'll try to stay out of you're hair."

Gilbert felt bad. He hadn't meant to make the Canadian upset, but he didn't know how to act around the beautiful young boy. He sighed and turned back to Matthew, who was sitting on the other bed.

"It's not that I don't like you." Gilbert said, willing the heat from his face away, "I just . . . I don't know, I act funny around you."

Matthew tilted his head, "Act funny around me?" he asked.

Gilbert sighed, "Just forget it. But I don't not like you, okay?"

Matthew paused for a moment, then laughed, "Okay then. How about we try being friends?"

Gilbert looked Matthew up and down, "Sure. Friends. All right."

Matthew giggled and held out his hand. Gilbert stared at it for a moment before taking it and shaking it. They smiled at each other and began talking. They talked about anything that came to mind, whether it was what things they liked to eat, or how the politicians were being assholes again. They ended up talking well into the night, not even realizing the time.

Over the next few months of the tour, Matthew and Gilbert continued to grow closer. They didn't really have anything in common, but they always found things to talk about. As it turned out, Matthew wasn't as passive as he seemed, and had a hidden snarky side. Gilbert found himself bitched out by Matthew countless times. Matthew also enjoyed things like hockey, motorbikes, and figure skating (which was harder than it looked, as Gilbert found out). Slowly, Gilbert began to realize he was coming to love the younger boy, even though he was six years younger and the same age as his little brother. He loved the way he would talk in a mixture of English and Quebecois when he was flustered or angry. He loved they way he would smile, and the way his eyes lit up when he did. He loved the hidden strength in the tiny body, much like his own strength. Gilbert loved Matthew's angry face, and how he would put any of them in their place with only words. He loved all of Matthew's cute expressions, and the way his already rosy cheeks would flush bright red. He loved his cooking, especially his pancakes, which he always drizzled with delicious maple syrup (the authentic stuff, not the cheap American knock off stuff). Fuck, Gilbert loved everything about Matthew.

And it was driving him crazy.

"So, how have you been holding out so far?" Matthew asked, kicking his feet in the lake they had stopped by.

"Fine I guess, all of this traveling is beginning to take it's toll." Gilbert replied.

Matthew giggled, "You must miss home."

Gilbert leaned back and looked up at the starry sky, "I suppose, but the only thing at home for me is my little brother Ludwig, and he's traveling the world right now."

"That sounds a little . . . sad, don't you think?" Matthew said quietly.

Gilbert shrugged, "I guess so, but I'm used to it by now."

Matthew smiled and stood up. Gilbert watched for a moment, then nearly leapt out of his skin when Matthew began to strip. He sat there, frozen, until Matthew was completely naked. He smiled at Gilbert and leapt into the water.

"Come on Gilbert!" he called, "The water's perfect!"

Skinny dipping.

Together.

With no one else around.

Damn kid was going to be the death of him.

Three days later, Gilbert sat down with Antonio. He would have talked to Francis, but Francis was fiercely protective of Matthew, and Gilbert didn't want to get in the line of fire. Still, he needed to talk to someone about what he was feeling (yuck, feelings. How unawesome)

"So what did you need?" Antonio asked.

Gilbert didn't answer for a long moment, "When you first met Lovino . . . how did you know you loved him?"

Antonio looked a little taken aback by the question, but he answered anyway, "I just . . . knew. There was no questioning it."

"How did you tell him you loved him?" Gilbert asked.

"I just told him. Nothing special there, really." Antonio said, "Why, do you think you might be in love?"

Gilbert stood up, "No way, I'm way to awesome to feel something like love." he snorted, "I'm going out." he said.

All too soon, the tour was coming to an end, promising the return of Gilbert back home to Europe. They had become a multi-million selling band in their time in Canada, but Gilbert barely paid attention. His focus was on Matthew, and what it would be like to leave him behind in Canada. His heart clenched at the thought. He couldn't let Matthew go without telling him, but . . . _shit_ he couldn't work up the guts to tell him.

It was the last song of their last show, and Gilbert finally was ready to give Matthew an inkling of his feelings.

_Hey I've been watching you_

_Every little thing you do_

_Every time I see you dance_

_In my homeroom class, makes my heart beat fast_

_I've tried to page you twice_

_But I see you roll your eyes_

_Wish I could make it real_

_But your lips are sealed, that ain't no big deal_

_'Cause I know you really want me_

_I hear your friends talk about me_

_So why you tryin'to do without me_

_When you got me_

_Where you want me_

_(Hey Juliet)_

_I think you're fine_

_You really blow my mind_

_Maybe someday, you and me can run away_

_I just want you to know_

_I wanna be your Romeo_

_Hey Juliet_

_Girl you got me on my knees_

_Beggin' please, baby please_

_Got my best DJ on the radio waves saying_

_Hey Juliet, why do you do him this way_

_Too far to turn around_

_So I'm gonna stand my ground_

_Gimme just a little bit of hope_

_With a smile or a glance, gimme one more chance_

_'Cause I know you really want me_

_I hear your friends talk about me_

_So why you tryin' to do without me_

_When you got me_

_Where you want me_

_Hey Juliet_

_I think you're fine_

_You really blow my mind_

_Maybe someday, you and me can run away_

_I just want you to know_

_I wanna be your Romeo_

_Hey Juliet_

_I know you really want me_

_I hear your friends talk about me_

_So why you tryin' to do without me_

_When you got me_

_Where you want me_

_You don't have to say forever_

_For us to hang together_

_So hear me when I say_

_Hey Juliet_

_Hey Juliet_

_I think you're fine_

_You really blow my mind_

_Maybe someday, you and me can run away_

_I just want you to know_

_I wanna be your Romeo_

_Hey Juliet_

_Hey Juliet_

_I think you're fine_

_You really blow my mind_

_Maybe someday, you and me can run away_

_I just want you to know_

_I wanna be your Romeo_

_Hey Juliet_

He didn't know if he got through to Matthew or not, but he hoped he did. They left the stage and went around to the back, where Matthew was going to meet them. Gilbert waited nervously, wondering if Matthew would accept him or not.

Matthew came down the hallway, smiling, like always. Gilbert smiled back.

"Wow, that was a good show." he said, smiling at all three of them, "That last song was really good."

Gilbert's heart thudded in his chest, "You liked it?" he asked.

"Yeah, it was a good song." Matthew said, smiling at Gilbert.

At that moment, a knock came from the door. Antonio got up and talked to the guard for a moment, then bolted down the hallway. He came back a few minutes later, leading someone behind him.

"Hey Toni!" Gilbert called, "Where the hell did you go?"

"I went to get Arthur!" Antonio said proudly, pushing Arthur forward, "He came to see our show!"

Francis stood up and embraced Arthur, "Welcome back, mon cher."

Arthur hugged back, "It's good to be back."

They exchanged pleasantries and sat down. Matthew stood up and introduced himself to Arthur.

"Hello." he said quietly, "I'm Matthew Williams, Francis's cousin."

Arthur shook the offered hand, "Arthur Kirkland, a childhood friend of all three of these buggers."

Gilbert snorted, "If we're buggers, you're a Wichser." he said.

Arthur only rolled his eyes. They talked well into the night, catching up with the latest news from one another. Arthur was on his way to becoming an author, and his book was well on it's way to the shelves. The four of them promised to read it as soon as it came out. Eventually they all retired to their hotel, Francis dragging Arthur into his room, no doubt to 'shag' him, as Arthur would call it. Antonio went to his own room to call Lovino, just like every night, so that left Matthew and Gilbert to talk.

Matthew didn't say anything for a while, making the air uncomfortable. He finally blurted out, "So who is she?"

"Huh?" Gilbert asked dumbly.

"The girl in your song." Matthew said, not looking at Gilbert.

"What? Oh, that song." Gilbert said. So he hadn't gotten through to Matthew. Shit.

"Yeah." Matthew said, sounding slightly sad. Wait, did Matt think that Gilbert liked someone? And he was sad about it? Could this mean . . . ?

"There is no girl." Gilbert said, shifting his feet.

"Then who is the song about?" Matthew asked.

Gilbert didn't say anything for a long moment, then, "You."

Matthew looked up at Gilbert, tears in his eyes. He blinked a couple times then shook his head, "You don't mean that." he said.

Gilbert growled, "And why the hell wouldn't I mean it?"

"Because it's me!" Matthew cried, "No one loves me enough to make a song for me! I'm not important enough!"

Gilbert hissed and lunged forward, wrapping his arms around the little Canadian, "Don't ever say that again!" he shouted, "You're worth it! You're worth every bit of it!"

"You don't mean that." Matthew said, his voice shaking.

"I do mean it Matt. I mean every word of it." Gilbert said, thinking, _"Old Fritz, I __think I've turned into a sentimental bitch."_

Gilbert felt a warm wetness on his shoulder and guessed that Matt was crying. He buried a hand into Matthew's soft hair and stroked it, murmuring soft nothings in German. He pulled away from the embrace and stared into Matt's beautiful blue-violet eyes, wiping away tears that spilled from them with his thumb. He leaned forward and placed a light kiss on Matthew's soft lips, staying there for only a moment before pulling back.

"Why me?" Matthew asked.

"Because." Gilbert said, "I just do."

Matthew closed his eyes and leaned in again, resting his forehead on Gilbert's shoulder. Gilbert hugged him tightly, vowing never to let go, not like his mother, or Fritz. Matt pulled away and stared into Gilbert eyes, then glanced down at his mouth. Gilbert took the hint and kissed him again.

"He has such soft lips." Gilbert thought as he melded their lips together.

Matthew kissed back shyly, like he was unused to the movement. They stayed that way for a while before Gilbert flicked his tongue against the petal like lips. Matt hesitated a moment, then opened his mouth, letting Gilbert invade his mouth _(AN; I couldn't help but use this joke :D)_. Gilbert pressed his tongue against the unresponsive one, trying to get Matt to participate. Matthew pressed back slowly, sliding his tongue against the other wet muscle. Gilbert made an appreciative noise and tugged Matthew's hoodie and shirt up, exposing the pale stomach.

Matthew squeaked and leapt back, blushing and pulling his clothing back into place. Gilbert immediately missed the warmth of the smaller man in his arms.

"No?" he asked, "You don't want it?"

Matthew blushed harder and looked away, embarrassed, "I . . . I'm not . . . ready." he said quietly.

Gilbert tilted his head, then sighed, "Don't tell me you're a virgin."

Matthew went even redder and didn't meet Gilbert's eyes, looking every where in the room besides the man in front of him.

GIlbert groaned and rolled his eyes, "Should have figured." he muttered under his breath, then he smiled at Matt, "It's okay, we can take as long as you want for that."

Matthew shot him a grateful smiled and stepped back into his embrace, snuggling into Gilbert's warmth. Gilbert led him to the bedroom and decided that cuddling the whole night would have to be enough for now.

A month later, when he was back in Germany (having dragged Matthew along with him), he got a call from Ludwig.

"Hey bruder! How have ya been!" he said cheerily while Matthew cooked his famous pancakes (from scratch).

"I've been good bruder, very good." Ludwig said, sounding sort of breathless.

"Oh really, what's been good to you?" Gilbert asked, leaning back in his chair.

There was a long pause from the other side, and Gilbert could tell Ludwig was working himself up to something, so he took a sip of his coffee to pass the time.

"I'm getting married." Ludwig suddenly blurted.

Gilbert spewed his coffee all over the table, earning a look from Matthew, "You're what!?" he exclaimed.

"I'm getting married." Ludwig said again, "I proposed to him and he said yes."

"Him?" Gilbert said, "I never would have thought that you were gay."

"Very funny, Feliciano's just special." Ludwig said.

Gilbert looked over at Matthew and smiled, "Yeah, I know what you mean."

It was six months later that the whole crew ended up in Rome for Ludwig's marriage to Feliciano Vargas (who turned out to be the twin of Antonio's sweetheart, Lovino, go figure). Feliciano was the exact opposite of his brother, always smiling and chattering about something. How the strict and serious Ludwig could have fallen for him, no one had any clue.

"Ve~, you must be Ludwig's brother, Gilbert!" the small, chestnut brown haired male asked him.

"Yeah, that's me all right. Go ahead and bask in my aswsomeness." Gilbert said.

Feliciano giggled, "You're funny Gilbert."

After the ceremony, Gilbert decided to take Matthew out to see Rome as a sort of gift.

"Wow Gilbert, this is so wonderful." Matt said, snapping a picture of the colosseum, "Not as cool as when you took me to see Dachau, but still pretty cool."

"I still have no idea why you're so obsessed with all that morbid stuff." Gilbert said, watching Matthew take several different shots at several different angles.

"Just personal curiosity." Matt answered, finally putting down his camera, "It interests me."

Gilbert chuckled, "Yeah, I just never would have pegged you for the type to get all hyped up over World War Two and One."

Matthew stuck out his tongue at Gilbert and walked away. Gilbert quickly followed him, worried that he would get lost. They walked for a while, holding hands and joking together. That evening, they got back to their hotel room and flopped down on the bed, exhausted from a day of walking.

"That was fun." Matthew said.

"Mmhmm." Gilbert grunted.

Matthew giggled and rolled over, snuggling into Gilbert's side. Gilbert smiled and wrapped an arm around Matt, pulling him closer. Matthew smiled and reached up to kiss his boyfriend. They kissed for a while before Matthew got on top of Gilbert, suspending himself above his boyfriend on his hands and knees. Gilbert pulled away and stared up at Matthew, who blushed furiously and looked away.

"We've been dating for half a year. I think I . . . I'm ready now." Matthew said, still blushing from the tips of his ears.

Gilbert was a little startled, but he grinned and flipped them over, "You better not be jerking me around Mattie, or I may just have to hurt you."

Matthew giggled and wrapped his arms around Gilbert's neck, "I don't think that'll be a problem."

Gilbert growled and lunged for Matthew's neck. He licked and nibbled the sensitive flesh he could reach. He licked the shell of an ear and loved the adorable shudder that went through the smaller male. He continued to worship the neck and ears, pulling away for only a moment to pull Matt's hoodie and shirt away. Matthew blushed and brought his arms up to cover his chest, but Gilbert pinned his wrists down on the the bed.

"You know, you're a strange one. We've skinny dipped and showered together, and you were shameless, but as soon as things get sexual, you turn into a frightened virgin." Gilbert mused.

Matthew huffed, "I am a virgin, you dork."

Gilbert laughed and kissed Matthew again, slipping his tongue past his lips and into the other's mouth. Matthew immediately responded by pressing back and battling Gilbert for dominance (a battle that Gilbert won, naturally). Gilbert's fingers wandered over the young Canadian's chest, rubbing pert nipples under calloused fingertips.

"M~n~h." Matthew moaned into the kiss, arching his back up a little, trying to get closer to those skilled fingers.

"Like that Mattie?" Gilbert said, pulling away from he kiss and nibbling his way down to wear his fingers were.

Gilbert flicked his tongue over a pert nipple, then bit down on it and worried it into a hard bud. Matthew wiggled his jean clad lower half under Gilbert the entire time, making Gilbert growl in the back of his throat. He moved his attention to the opposite nipple, giving it the same treatment as it's twin. He pulled away from the hardened bud and began leaving hickeys and love bites all over the exposed skin. He sat back and examined his work. Gilbert smiled to himself and dipped his head to kissed Matt again. Matthew wiggled and moaned into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Gilbert's back and shyly tugging his shirt up. Gilbert growled low in his throat and sat up, divesting himself of his shirt. Once finished with that, Gilbert reached down and unbuttoned and unzipped Matt's pants. Matthew squeaked and jerked his hips away.

Gilbert pulled his hands away and sighed, "Do you want to stop?" he asked. He couldn't really force the poor kid into this if he didn't want it.

Matthew blushed and shook his head, "I want it. It just . . . startled me is all."

Gilbert nodded and went back to his work. He slowly pulled Matt's pants down and over his creamy thighs. He pulled them away and sat back to watch Matthew pant on the bed. His chest was littered with hickeys and bite marks. His face was flushed and his eyes were half lidded and glazed. Gilbert smiled and put his palm on the tent in Matt's boxers.

"U~n~h." Matt moaned, arching his hips up into the hand.

Gilbert grinned and began kneading the erection through the cotton boxers. He brought his other hand up and began to slide the boxers off of the slender hips. Matthew whimpered as his cock was exposed to the cooler air around them. Gilbert only watched and stroked the leaking dick in his hand. He leaned over Matthew and kissed him solidly on the mouth, neither shy nor forceful, just there, comforting. Matt sighed and wrapped his arms around Gilbert's shoulders, leaning into the kiss and the hand. Gilbert fiddled with his pants, trying to get them off with only one hand (which turned out to be very difficult). He finally slid them down enough to kick them away, then did the same with his boxers. Gilbert pulled away his hand, ignoring the whimper of protest from the Canadian under him, and laid fully down on Matthew, not breaking the pulled away and looked over at the bedside table. Sure enough, there was a little bottle of hand lotion sitting on it. He grabbed it and spread some on his fingers, lubricating them.

Matthew squeaked when he saw what Gilbert was doing, "So, you're going to . . . prep me?"

"Yup." Gilbert said, placing himself between Matt's legs, "It'll feel weird, but it'll make it better later."

Matthew nodded, spreading his legs a bit and waiting for Gilbert to start.

"_Poor kid."_ Gilbert thought, _"He's so frightened."_

Gilbert placed the tip of his finger at Matthew's entrance, waiting for Matthew to relax a bit. Gilbert wrapped his lips around the tip of Matt's cock, sucking lightly. Matthew cried out and arched his back, trying to get closer to the heat. Gilbert held down Matthew's hips and pressed the first finger in, wiggling it around. Matthew whimpered at the strange feeling, but it was overshadowed by the feeling of Gilbert sucking on his cock. Gilbert pressed another finger in, scissoring to stretch Matt's tight, virgin hole, and sunk down on the cock a little more, taking in about half of it. He continued his ministrations, keeping Matthew distracted with his mouth while his fingers did interesting things. When he added the third finger, he engulfed the entire length of Matthew's dick and sucked hard.

"A-ah!" Matthew cried, thrashing his head back onto the pillow.

Gilbert quickly finished prepping the younger man and pulled away. He grabbed the lotion again and spread some on his already leaking cock and positioned himself above Matthew.

"You ready?" he asked, panting and forcing himself to wait.

Matthew didn't say anything, but nodded slowly. Gilbert smiled and kissed Matt, slowly pushing his hips forward. Matthew whimpered into the kiss as Gilbert penetrated his tight entrance. Gilbert stopped once he was fully inside of his lover.

"How- ngh! How're ya doing?" Gilbert asked, desperately trying not to start thrusting before Matt was ready.

Matthew whimpered, "M-move." he said.

Gilbert let out a sigh of relief and began to shallowly thrust in and out of his sweet little love. He steadily picked up the pace, letting Matthew get used to the feeling of having something inside of him. Gilbert changed his angle a bit and moaned when Matthew tightened around him, crying out. Gilbert aimed for the same spot and began to thrust harder into it, making Matthew nearly scream.

"Ah! G-Gilbert!" he cried, "I think I'm g-gonna-!"

"Yeah, me too." Gilbert grunted, thrusting hard, pounding Matthew into the mattress.

Matthew flung his arms around Gilbert's shoulders, pulling him close as they both teetered on the edge of completion.

"Matt." Gilbert panted, "I love you."

Whether it was Gilbert's proclamation of love, or the last couple of thrusts to his prostate that made Matthew arch his back and cry out, Gilbert didn't know. The only thing Gilbert knew of that moment was the tightness of that searing heat all around him and the feeling of spilling himself into his lover.

Gilbert slowly pulled his hazy mind back into reality. He pulled out of the abused hole and collapsed next to his love. For the next few minutes, the only sounds in the room were the slowing pants of the two on the bed.

"Hey." Gilbert said, once he had caught his breath, "You alright?"

Matthew smiled and pulled Gilbert into his arms, positioning them so Gilbert's head was overtop his heart.

"Perfect." he murmured, before falling asleep with his arms around Gilbert.

Gilbert smiled and pressed his ear down on Matthew's chest, listening to the steady beat.

Bu-bump.

Bu-bump.

Bu-bump.

_Bu-bump_.

**Author Commentary:** IT'S FINALLY DONE!!!!!!!! This one took me forever to finish. I hope you guys like it. Wow did this ever get long, I went over my limit. Oops. REVIEW ME PLEASE! (songs are; Soldier Side by System of a Down, Everything I ask for by The Maine, and Hey Juliet by LMNT)


	7. Special

**Author Commentary:** It's me again, in all my non-existent glory (seriously, I have no idea why you people read my crap). Now it Roderich's story. I'm going to apologize beforehand to any Hungary or AutsriaxHungary fans. Sorry guys! You guys are great, but my heart belongs to AustriaxSwitzerland!

**Character:** Austria

**Warnings:** Yaoi, Angst, Dark themes, Some sexual relations/references

**Disclaimer:** Everything beside the characters are mine (unless my computer gets diarrhea and shits out my files, then nobody will own it).

Roderich's problems probably started the day he was born. He was born much too early and in poor health. However, Roderich turned out to be a struggler (he never classified himself as a 'fighter', that sounded too rough for him). At first, the doctors said he wouldn't last the hour, then the night, then the week, then the month, then the year. He proved all of their predictions wrong however, his heart and lungs toiling hard to keep him barely alive. The doctors managed to keep him alive until the age of three, when he became able to support himself for the most part. Roderich remembers very little of that time though, and it's understandable, seeing as he slept through most of his first three and a half years. Roderich became fully aware of his world at the age of four, knowing only the room he stayed in, his parents, the maids, and the many French doctors who came to see him his only connection to the world outside of it.

Until Vash Zwingli waltzed into his life.

Roderich was reading a book when he heard the door open, and looked up to a strange sight.

It was another child, like himself. Roderich had never seen another child in his life before, so it was odd to see one now. He was bigger than Roderich, and had blond hair that fell nearly to his shoulders in a mostly straight fashion and green eyes that looked slightly mean.

Roderich scooted back on his bed, "Who are you?" he asked.

The boy looked up at him, "I'm here to give you your lunch." he said, holding up the tray of food he carried.

Roderich watched the boy walk around to his bedside and place the tray on his bed. The boy looked around, and upon finding nothing to sit on, he scowled and climbed up onto the bed. Roderich squeaked and tried to pull away, nearly spilling the contents of the tray.

"Stay still!" the boy ordered, "You wanna get food on yourself? Don't blame me when you get an ugly stain on your nice things."

Roderich had never been spoken to in this manner, and he decided he didn't really like it, "D-Don't speak to me that way! I can do whatever I want!"

The other boy laughed, "Oh really? Can you get up and walk on your own?"

Roderich flushed, "I could." he said.

"Then by all means, do so." the other boy said, gesturing around the room vaguely.

Roderich huffed and crawled to the edge of the bed. He slowly lowered his body onto the floor, trying to keep his legs up. For one moment, his legs supported him, giving him an odd feeling throughout his body, like when he did something that made his parents happy, but better. His legs were unused to standing without any support though, and he crumpled to the ground.

The other boy hopped down off the bed and picked him up. He tossed him back onto the bed and plopped back down beside him, "See? You can't do whatever you want, no one can. That's why you have to work hard for it." he said.

Roderich stared at the other boy, not knowing what to say. Were all other children like this? If so, Roderich wasn't sure how he was supposed to fit in with them. Still, in an odd way, he kind of liked this new boy. He wasn't polite to Roderich, like he was afraid of breaking him, like all of the adults were. He didn't care that Roderich's family was employing him, or that Roderich was the one he was supposed to be servicing. Roderich kind of liked being treated 'normally', like he was just another kid.

The blonde stared at him, "You gonna eat or not?"

Roderich snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at his tray of food. He picked up his fork and scooped up some mashed potato with it. He got a little smear of it at the corner of his mouth, and the other boy growled and wiped it away with a napkin.

"Mind your manners." he growled, roughly wiping it away.

Roderich finished eating and turned to the boy, "What's your name?" he asked.

"Vash Zwingli." the boy said, "And I know who you are, so don't bother telling me."

Roderich felt a giggle bubble up inside of him, flowing from his lips before he could stifle it. Vash rolled his eyes, but smiled at Roderich, just a little bit. Roderich smiled back.

"Would you stay for a bit?" Roderich asked.

Vash raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"I like you." Roderich admitted.

Vash scoffed, but a red flush spread across his face, "Sure, why the hell not."

They ended up talking for another hour. They talked mostly about the different lives they lived. Vash was from Switzerland, but he moved here with his mother for some strange reason (she refused to tell Vash why). His mother was one of the live-in maids, and he was the only other child that lived in the house. He was a tad older that Roderich, explaining why he was a bit bigger than him. Roderich, in turn, told him about how he was Austrian living in France because of his heath problems, but as soon as they could, they were going to move back to Austria. They talked for at least an hour when a maid and Roderich's parents walked in.

"Vash!" the maid said, "You were supposed to bring the dishes back as soon as Roderich finished."

"Sorry Mom." Vash said, picking up the tray and hopping down off the bed.

Roderich fidgeted, "Can Vash come back later?" he asked quietly.

Roderich's father tilted his head, "Why?"

"I like Vash." Roderich said.

The adults looked at Roderich strangely for a moment before Vash said, "We're friends."

Roderich blushed a bit but then he nodded eagerly, "Yeah! Vash is my new friend."

Roderich's parents looked surprised but then they were all smiles, "Of course Vash can come back and play with you! He can come back whenever he likes!" they said, apparently happy that Roderich finally had a playmate.

Roderich smiled and looked back at Vash, "So we'll see each other later then, right?"

Vash nodded, "I'll come back as soon as I finish my chores. See you later."

Roderich smiled, "Okay. Bye Vash!" he called as Vash left with the maid.

After that, Vash came by often. He mostly came whenever he had the time, but there where times when he came just because. Roderich's parents were thrilled that Roderich was making friends, but Roderich got the subtle hints that they thought that Roderich could do better than a maid's son. They scheduled all sorts of play dates with other, more wealthy children. Roderich refused to speak to them, preferring the company of Vash over all of the snooty rich children. To him, Vash was real, not like the overpaid doctors or the polite staff, but someone who treated him like just another person.

"Geez, why do you get sick so friggen much?" Vash asked, walking into the bedroom.

Roderich didn't answer but smiled at Vash, happy to see him. After a moment, he managed to croak out, "Hi Vash."

"Hello yourself." Vash said, sighing. He crawled up on the bed, setting the tray with the soup down first, "Come on, you need to eat."

Roderich tried to sit up, but he flopped back down onto the pillows. Vash rolled his eyes and pulled Roderich into a semi-sitting position. He scooped up some soup and held it up to Roderich's lips. Roderich knew better than to argue with the other boy at this point and obediently opened his mouth. Vash roughly shoved the spoon past his lips and tipped its contents into Roderich's mouth. He continued to feed the younger boy this way until all of the soup was gone.

"Thanks Vash." Roderich said softly, relaxing back until he was lying down again.

Vash pulled the covers up to Roderich's chin, "Sure, no problem."

After Roderich got over his fever, Vash decided that Roderich needed to start walking on his own.

"But Vash." Roderich said, "I can barely stand on my own."

Vash huffed, "Well, you have to learn sometime right? What better time than now?"

With that, Vash grabbed hold of Roderich's wrist and tugged him down off the bed. Keeping him supported with one arm, Vash stood Roderich up on his feet.

"I'll walk with you the first few steps, then you can try it out yourself." Vash said.

Roderich nodded, too nervous to say anything. He had since seen the rest of the house, but only in a wheelchair, pushed around by one of the maids or his mother. Vash took a step forward, then waited for Roderich to do the same. Roderich slowly lifted his foot and took a step. They continued to do this for a while, Roderich slowly getting the hang of the movements. Vash slowly started to pull away, letting Roderich support himself as much as he could. Roderich stumbled a bit, but he continued to walk with Vash's help. They did this every day, secretly, for the next month, and soon Roderich could walk on his own. He still stumbled a bit, and he could only just support himself, but he could walk. Roderich felt an odd sort of freedom, just with the knowledge that he could walk if he so pleased. It felt amazing to walk, even if his legs hurt a bit afterwards (now that he was doing it more, it didn't hurt as much).

"I should show my mother and father." Roderich said, walking in circles for no other reason than to walk around.

"Go ahead if you want to." Vash said, finishing off the cheese that Roderich didn't like.

"Do you think they'll be surprised?" Roderich asked.

"Your walking all on your own for the first time in your life as far as they know. I'd say they'll be pretty darn surprised." Vash said.

Roderich giggled and walked over to the Swiss. He wrapped his arms around Vash and said, "Thanks Vash, for everything."

Vash blushed bright red, but returned the hug, "You're welcome, you sappy bugger."

Roderich giggled again. Vash helped Roderich into his chair (they were planning to surprise his parents) and set off into the house. They found Roderich's parents sitting in the living room, reading.

"Oh, hello dear. Did you need something?" his mother asked.

"No mother, I'd like to show you something." Roderich said, barely managing to keep a wide smile off of his face.

His father put his book down, "What would you like to show us?"

Roderich let himself smile widely and stood up. His parents looked rather shocked, but they nearly burst into tears when Roderich began walking toward them. They scooped him up into their arms and held him tightly.

"How on earth- ?" his father asked, close to tears.

Roderich smiled, "Vash taught me. I wasn't very good at first, but he made me stick with it."

His parents turned to Vash, who looked away, looking like he it was no big deal and bored with the situation. Roderich giggled and wiggled out of his parents arms and back onto the floor. He walked over to Vash and threw his arms around his neck.

"Thank you Vash!" he exclaimed, "You're the best friend ever!"

Roderich continued to switch between being sick and walking around the house. Vash was almost constantly at his side by now, his parents firmly believing that Vash was the best thing for Roderich now. When Roderich turned five, it was time to start his schooling. His parents hired the best tutors in the area, having Roderich home schooled so they could keep a close eye on him at all times. Since Vash barely left Roderich's side, the tutors ended up teaching both of them.

This was around the time Roderich discovered the piano.

Roderich turned out to have a natural talent for the piano, and really enjoyed playing it. Willing to do anything to make Roderich happy, his parents invested in music lessons, which Roderich enthusiastically took to. Vash, uninterested in learning how to play, usually sat and listened to Roderich play. Sometimes he hummed along to the music, but other than that, he only watched.

When Roderich turned six, he met Gilbert for the first time.

Roderich knew that he had other family besides his mother and father, but he had never met them at all. They told him that Gilbert was a second cousin, and to be nice to him because he'd had a hard time lately.

But that was easier said than done.

"Who are you?" Roderich asked the boy who had just walked into his room. He was having breathing problems that day and was told it would be best if he stayed in bed for the day.

"I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt, what's your name?" Gilbert asked.

Roderich inspected the other boy. He was around the same size as Vash, maybe a bit skinnier. He had dark, ruby red eyes and white hair to match his pale skin. His eyes looked somewhat haunted, like he had seen bad things happen to people. He was rather rough looking, his hair in a disarrayed mess and his clothing ruffled looking. Gilbert had a strange smirk on his face, like he like nothing more than to shred something into pieces.

"Roderich Edelstein." Roderich said, "What are you doing here?"

"My grandpa told me to come play with you." Gilbert said walking around the bed to stand at Roderich's side.

"Well, I can't play, I have to stay in bed." Roderich said, crossing his arms and huffing.

Gilbert rolled his eyes, "Why can't you get out of bed? Don't your legs work?"

"I have weak health." Roderich explained.

Gilbert sighed and crawled up onto the bed, "Well then, we'll just play here."

Roderich squeaked, "Wha-what?! No! You can't play _here_!"

"Why the hell not?" Gilbert growled, looking annoyed.

"This isn't a place to play, this is a place for me to rest." Roderich said.

Gilbert growled and slid off the bed, "Well, what the hell can you do?"

Roderich bristled, "Don't speak to me that way, you albino freak!"

"Don't call me that! It's not albinism!" Gilbert shouted back.

The two of them continued to shout at each other until Roderich went into an asthma attack. The adults rushed Gilbert out of the room and focussed on getting Roderich to breath normally.

Later that day, when Vash was back from his shopping trip with his mother, Roderich openly complained about his newfound cousin.

"He's so rude!" Roderich said, flopping back onto the pillows, "And he's stupid too. How can you have white hair and red eyes if you're not an albino?"

"I heard it had something to do with his mother." Vash said absently, "Apparently it's different from albinism because his mother's family had either red eyes, white hair, or both. If it's albinism, then they would only appear together. That and albino's have pink eyes and platinum hair, not red eyes and silver white hair."

Roderich looked over at Vash, "I really hate it when you go all smart on me. It's really a killjoy."

Vash stuck out his tongue. Roderich giggled and rested his head on Vash's lap. Vash stiffened for a moment, then relaxed and ran his hands through Roderich's dark chocolate hair. They stayed that way for a while, just enjoying the closeness of one another. Eventually, Roderich drifted off to sleep, the feeling of Vash's warm fingers in his hair enough to lull him to sleep.

For the next few years, Roderich continued to get stronger. Soon he was nearly as healthy as any other child his age (with some minor ailments). He and Vash continued to be the best of friends, Roderich always with Vash, and Vash always with Roderich. Roderich continued to excel in music, and even began to write his own songs. Things even started looking up for him at home when Gilbert and his family moved away to Italy (little Ludwig was alright, but Gilbert was just a nuisance). However, if things are too good to be true, they usually are.

"We're moving?" Roderich asked, stunned, "To Austria?"

His mother nodded, "We promised that we'd move home to Austria when you were healthy. And now you are, and we can go home."

Roderich heart thudded in his chest, "Will Vash be coming with us?" he asked, dreading the answer.

His mother smiled sadly, "Unfortunately no. His mother was very strong in denying to come with us, no matter what we did. I'm very sorry Roderich."

Roderich's dread turned into a ball of ice in his stomach. He . . . wasn't going to be around Vash anymore? But, they'd always been together, it was like a fact of life. You couldn't have Roderich without Vash, it was impossible. Feeling tears sting his eyes, Roderich turned and ran out of the room, ignoring his mother's call. He ran into the music room, the only place that gave him solace when Vash wasn't there. He wiped away the tears spilling from his eyes and sat down at the piano. Roderich pulled the saddest song he could think of from his mind and began to play.

Roderich lets his tears fall silently as he played, not bothering to hold them back or wipe them away. He heard the door open and a comforting presence at his side. Roderich didn't look up from his playing, but he knew that it was Vash standing next to him. He continued the song, startled when Vash began to sing, but didn't stop the song or slow it down at all. Vash voice was soft and sad, matching the mood of the room perfectly. Roderich played until the end, letting the last note hang in the air, Vash's soft voice floating along with it. Roderich turned and faced Vash, not hiding his tears. He was very surprised to see that Vash's eyes were red and wet as well. Saying nothing, Vash wrapped his arms around his only friend in a comforting hug. Whether it was meant to comfort himself or Roderich, Roderich couldn't tell.

Three months later, Roderich was with Vash for the last time.

"I don't want to go." Roderich said sadly.

"I don't want to stay." Vash admitted, giving Roderich's hand a squeeze.

Roderich held back a sob, "Let's promise to meet again. Okay?"

Vash only nodded. For the second time in his life, Vash hugged Roderich. Roderich hugged back tightly, letting a single tear fall down his cheek. They pulled away and stared at each other for a moment.

"We will meet again." Vash said, as if stating a fact.

Roderich hugged Vash again, "Okay."

Life in Austria was much different than life in France. Roderich knew German, and was quite fluent in it, but he was unused to hearing it all around him. He was also enrolled in a private school, instead of being home schooled. The other children were curious about him, having known each other since they were born, so Roderich was a completely new face. He was encouraged to try out sports by the other children, but he refused, choosing instead the music program.

Roderich got top marks at his school, and was the best pianist the school had, but he was incredibly lonely. He had no real friends, and didn't go out of his way to socialize with other people his age. Roderich tried to convince himself that it was because he was shy, but he knew it was because he didn't want any friends that weren't Vash.

Roderich continued this way all throughout his teen years. After graduation, he went on to study music, and was well on his way to being a classical performer. Roderich went to a prestigious university of arts, graduated at the top of his class, and went on to performances.

It was at his eleventh performance, in Hungary, that he met Elizaveta Hedervary for the first time.

He had just finished the show, and was exiting out the back when he saw a young brunette woman standing against the door. She looked up and smiled at him, flashing her white teeth. She stood up from the wall and walked over to him.

"I really liked you're show." she said, "You're very good."

"Thank you." Roderich said politely. He often got fans coming up to him to tell him how much they liked him, so this woman was no different.

"Could I get a picture of you?" she asked, holding up a camera.

Roderich paled, "No. I'm very sorry, but I must be going."

She steppe in front of him, blocking his path, "It'll only take a moment."

"I'm sorry but no." Roderich said firmly, pushing past her. Roderich felt his arm yanked back by a pair of strong hands. He stumbled backwards and lost his balance, landing on his rear.

"It's a fucking picture! Just smile and hold still and it over! What's so fucking hard about that?!" the woman screeched. She then went several shades of red, "Um . . . did I say that out loud?"

Roderich only stared at the woman, stunned. No one had spoken to him like that since Vash. A wave of nostalgia hit him and his heart started pounding. The woman reached down and helped him up, apologizing the entire time in a flustered manner.

"I'm so sorry! I've always been such a tomboy on the inside, and I completely forget myself sometimes. I'm really sorry, are you okay?" she asked.

Roderich brushed himself off and smiled at the woman, something he normally wouldn't do to someone who just knocked him over, but this girl reminded him of Vash, so he could forgive, "It's alright." he said, "It's just a picture. I should have been more polite."

The woman gave a sigh of relief and stuck out her hand to shake, "I'm Elizaveta Hedervary. A photography student."

Roderich took the hand, "Roderich Edelstein, a musician."

Elizaveta giggled, "I knew that already, but it's nice to meet you."

"And you as well." Roderich said. Now that he got a closer look at Elizaveta, she was really quite pretty. Long sandy brown hair with a little pink flower clip at one side. Green eyes with thick lashes set into a pretty face. Her body was neither too flat nor overly voluptuous.

Roderich found himself spending a lot of time with Elizaveta, initially because of the way she reminded him of his childhood friend, but he steady came to love her for her. She was an outgoing girl, and was full of kindness. True to her word, she was a total tomboy at heart. She enjoyed all of the sports that Roderich avoided, and was even on a couple teams. Elizaveta was also into a type of erotic Japanese comic books called 'yaoi manga'. Roderich already knew what 'manga' was, but he didn't know what 'yaoi' was until an unfortunate afternoon he spent at Elizaveta's apartment. Roderich will never look at strawberries the same way again. Still, he found himself coming to love the Hungarian woman. She was everything he wasn't, she completed him. They began dating, and eventually, Roderich had something to give to Elizaveta.

"I had a nice night Roderich, thanks." Elizaveta said, smiling up at her boyfriend.

"You're very welcome, Elizaveta." he said back. Roderich fingered the small box in his pocket, _"Now or never Roderich. You can do this."_ he thought.

"Elizaveta? May I ask you something?" he said, slowly so his voice didn't shake.

Elizaveta giggled, "You just did, but alright, shoot."

Roderich took a deep breath and took Elizaveta's hand, cupping it gently in his own, "Elizaveta Hedervary." he started, "Will you . . . marry me?"

Elizaveta jolted, "What?"

"Will you marry me?" Roderich repeated taking the small box out of his pocket and popping it open, displaying the ring.

Elizaveta stared at the ring for a moment, then squealed and threw her arms around Roderich's neck, almost knocking them over.

"Yes!" she cried, "Yes, of course I'll marry you!"

Roderich smiled and wrapped his arms around the ecstatic girl. He slipped the ring on her finger and leaned down to kiss her. They stayed that way for moment before Elizaveta pulled away and looked at the ring now on her finger. She smiled and wrapped her arms around Roderich again.

"Thank you Roderich." she said, snuggling into the front of his jacket.

It took a while, but the planning was finally done and they were getting married. At Elizaveta's insistence, they invited all of Roderich's family, which included Gilbert. Roderich attempted to get a hold of Vash, but they hadn't heard from each other in so long that he couldn't find an address or phone number. Still, he was happy none the less.

They got married on June 8th, a nice, sunny day, with no clouds. His parents had loved Elizaveta immediately, and the same went for Elizaveta's parents. Roderich thought things were going well until Gilbert flung an arm around his shoulder.

"Hey Roddy!" Gilbert called, waving, "How ya been?"

Roderich groaned and rolled his eyes, "Hello Gilbert."

Gilbert threw an arm around Roderich's shoulders, "Man did you ever get tall! It's been a while, hasn't it cuz?"

"Not long enough." Roderich said, removing Gilbert's arm from his shoulder.

"Roderich!" Elizaveta called, coming around the corner, "Oh there you are, and with a friend to!"

"Elizaveta." Roderich said softly, "This is my cousin Gilbert." he said, not so softly.

Elizaveta giggled, "Nice to meet you, I'm Elizaveta Hedervary, Roderich's fiance. Oops! I mean wife."

Gilbert held out his hand, "Nice to meet you, pretty lady."

Elizaveta shook his hand, "Nice to meet you too."

Gilbert didn't let go of her hand, "It's not often I can meet such a pretty lady. Especially hanging around Roddy here."

"I'm standing right here Gilbert, stop flirting with my wife." Roderich said, annoyed. The nerve of that man!

Gilbert stuck out his tongue at Roderich, "Shut up, maybe I can woo her away from you, Roddy." he said with a smile.

Quite suddenly, Elizaveta ripped her hand away and struck Gilbert across the face with it, "You horrible man! I would never leave Roderich."

Gilbert brought his own hand up to his face, touching the now tender cheek, "Ow! What the hell you crazy bitch! I was kidding!"

Elizaveta brought her hand back up to slap Gilbert again, but Gilbert stopped it before it could connect, "Listen here you." he growled, "I have no qualms with hitting girls, so I wouldn't do that again."

"Gilbert!" Roderich cried, "Unhand her at once!"

Gilbert growled again, then released her wrist and stalked off. Roderich watched him go, then turned his attention to Elizaveta.

"Are you alright?" he asked, gently taking her wrist.

She smiled up at him, "I'm fine. I probably did over react though."

Roderich shook his head, "He's a horrible person, you're reaction was perfectly fine."

Elizaveta smiled up at him, "Well then, lets go get married."

The wedding was a simple outdoor ceremony followed by an outdoor reception. Gilbert was in a sour mood the whole time, but Roderich paid him little attention. He was very surprised to see how much Ludwig had grown, for the young man now towered over him and outweighed him by several times, and all in muscle weight.

"Hello Ludwig. How have you been doing?" Roderich asked, looking way up at his young cousin.

"I've been doing fine." Ludwig said, his voice deep and resonating in his chest, "Congratulations."

"Thank you." Roderich said, still a little unsettled by have to look up at Ludwig, "God did you ever get huge."

Ludwig flushed a bit, "Bruder says the same thing."

Roderich huffed, "How's you father doing? I haven't seen him yet." he said, changing the subject.

Ludwig looked a little pained, "He died, nearly ten years ago now. Suicide."

Roderich paled. Oops, "Have you met Elizaveta yet? I think you'd like her."

Ludwig shook his head, "She seems very nice. Very pretty. Good for you Roderich."

Roderich's chest swelled with pride, "Why thank you." he looked around and spotted Elizaveta chatting to her maid of honor a few meters away, "Elizaveta!" he called, "Elizaveta, could you come here a moment?"

Elizaveta excused herself and rushed over, taking Roderich's hand when she got close enough, "What is it Roderich?" she asked.

"I'd like you to meet my cousin, Ludwig Beilschmidt." he said, gesturing to the tall blonde next to him.

Elizaveta smiled up him, "Hello, nice to meet you."

"Likewise ma'am." Ludwig said back, nodding his head.

Elizaveta turned to Roderich, "I thought you said you didn't have any older cousins?"

Roderich chuckled, "I don't. Ludwig is seventeen."

Elizaveta blushed furiously and turned back to Ludwig, "Oh goodness! I'm so sorry! You're just so tall and . . . built that I thought that you were older."

Ludwig nodded, "It's alright. I get that a lot. People often think that I'm the elder brother."

"Oh? Who's your brother?" Elizaveta asked.

"Gilbert. The one with the white hair and red eyes." Ludwig said, pointing off in the direction of the other German, who had pulled out his violin and began tuning it.

"Oh, him." Elizaveta said, her tone grating. Ludwig shot her a curious look, but didn't pry. Guess Gilbert got into a lot of trouble.

"I was unaware that Gilbert played any musical instrument at all." Roderich said, watching Gilbert finish tuning his violin.

"He started a few years ago, shortly after we moved to Germany." Ludwig said, "He's really good."

Roderich huffed, "I'll believe it when I see it."

And suddenly, beautiful music filled the air. Crisp, clear notes floated into the ears of the people, making them turn to see the young German playing the violin, oblivious to the rest of the world. They listened to Gilbert play, no one moving until the song finished. The last notes hung in the still air, tapering out at the ends until silence became the predominate sound. Roderich didn't even realize he had been straining to hear the entire song until it ended. The people standing around all rushed forward and surrounded Gilbert, telling him how good his playing was. Roderich huffed and walked over to the snack table, intent on avoiding conversation with anyone while Gilbert was the hot topic.

"_Still."_ he thought grudgingly, _"His performance was really good."_

With that, Roderich stuffed another bite-sized cupcake in his mouth.

Roderich and Elizaveta's honeymoon consisted of a week in Paris. Secretly, Roderich was hoping to run into Vash, but he didn't show it to Elizaveta, not wanting to offend his new wife.

"Oh wow!" Elizaveta cried, looking out the window of the honeymoon suite they rented for their stay, "It's so beautiful!"

"Isn't it?" Roderich said, his focus on the girl in front of him.

Elizaveta turned around and looked at him. Upon seeing that he was watching her instead of the Parisian scenery, she blushed and giggled. Quite suddenly, her entire demeanor changed from sweet and cute to seductive and sultry. Roderich gulped and felt himself begin to sweat. He knew that look, and that look always ended up with them on the bed, panting and spent.

Elizaveta smirked and slowly swaggered over to him, swishing her hips from side to side. She brought her hands up, brushing them over Roderich's lean chest and up and over his shoulders to wrap around his neck. Roderich shuddered and placed his hands on Elizaveta's slim waist, bringing her closer to him. Elizaveta's smirk grew into a grin; she slowly tugged him down so their lips could meet.

Roderich immediately pressed his tongue against Elizaveta's lips, knowing that she liked things to get straight to the point (Roderich liked to savor things to the fullest, but it made Elizaveta happy). Elizaveta pushed her tongue back, battling for dominance, which Roderich let her win (she was like that). They quickly divested themselves of their clothing, not breaking the kiss, and tumbled onto the bed.

Roderich pulled back and stared down at Elizaveta. She smiled back up at him, flashing straight and white teeth. Roderich smiled back and bent down to kiss her. Elizaveta kissed back eagerly and took control of the situation. Roderich felt himself tilting and found that Elizaveta had flipped them over so he was on his back with the young Hungarian woman on top of him. Elizaveta smirked and bent down to kiss him.

"Hm~." Roderich sighed. Sure, he would like to be the 'top', but he had learned long ago that it was unwise to argue with Elizaveta.

They continued to kiss, even as Elizaveta started rocking their hips together, rubbing Roderich's manhood against her wet opening. Roderich moaning into the kiss and thrusted his hips back, enjoying the slick warmth that emanated from the women on top of him.

"I'm gonna start now." Elizaveta said breathlessly.

Roderich nodded, and watched as Elizaveta positioned herself above him. She slowly sunk down on him, taking his throbbing dick into her tight, wet confines.

"H~h~n~n." Roderich moaned, gripping Elizaveta's hips in is hands. Oh holy hell was it ever good to be like this.

Elizaveta whimpered and began to rock herself overtop of her husband. Roderich helped her move by thrusting his hips up and guiding her hips with his hands. They set a steady rhythm, Elizaveta rocking on top of him and Roderich thrusting up to meet her.

"Oh Roderich." Elizaveta moaned, tossing her head back, "I don't think I'm going to last much longer."

Roderich moaned and thrusted harder. He propped himself up on one elbow and leaned forward, flicking his tongue over a sensitive nipple. Elizaveta arched her back and flung her arms around Roderich's neck, crushing his face into her breasts.

"Ah, ah, ah, a-a~a~h!" Elizaveta screamed as she came, arching her back even more and tightening her arms around Roderich.

Roderich's cry was muffled by the pair of breasts squished into his face, but he felt Elizaveta's walls clamp down hard over him and he released into her with a hiss. They stayed suspended in between the world of immense pleasure and reality for another moment before collapsing onto the bed, panting hard.

"Mm, I love you Roderich." Elizaveta panted, once she had pulled enough oxygen into her lungs.

Roderich smiled, "I love you too."

After their week was over, they returned to Austria. Elizaveta went back to her photography job for various galleries and papers, while Roderich went back to his music career. Together, they made quite a bit of money (Elizaveta's photos were top of the line, and Roderich's performances and recordings were phenomenal, and sometimes he even wrote compositions for various pop or rock musicians, among others). For the next few months, things didn't change too much. However, one morning, Elizaveta and Roderich had a strange, but predictable, conversation.

"Hey Roderich." Elizaveta said, over her bowl of oatmeal.

"Yes Elizaveta?" Roderich asked, not looking up form the sheet music in front of him.

"We've been married a few months now, so we haven't used any sort of protection, right?"

Now Roderich looked up, raising an eyebrow, "True, we have, why?"

Elizaveta blushed and looked a little shy for a moment, "How come I'm not getting pregnant?"

After that, the two of them began to try several different fertility drugs and remedies, trying to Elizaveta to bear children. Roderich wasn't too fond of children, but Elizaveta wanted to be a mother so badly that he couldn't say no. However, no matter what they seemed to try, nothing worked. More than one night, Roderich had to console a sobbing Elizaveta after yet another failed pregnancy test.

"What if something's wrong with me?" she sobbed.

Roderich wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders, "I'm sure you're fine Elizaveta." he said, trying to calm her down.

The week after that, they went into a clinic to see if either of them was the cause of the reason why they couldn't seem to have children. As it turned out, Elizaveta was perfectly suited to be a mother.

It was Roderich that was the problem.

Apparently, all of Roderich's illnesses in his young life and throughout puberty had messed up his 'vital regions', so to speak. While he could function normally, as in he could have sex and all that, he could never get a woman pregnant.

Ever.

"I'm so sorry Elizaveta." Roderich said, standing dejectedly in front of his wife, "I'm sorry I can't give you what you want the most."

Elizaveta wrapped her arms around her husband, "It's okay. It's not your fault, you could never have controlled something like this."

They spent the next little while trying to get over the bump in their marriage. Elizaveta trying to accept the fact that if she stayed with Roderich, she would never be a mother, and Roderich trying to get over the guilt he felt for causing Elizaveta distress. They worked through their problems as best they could, mostly sweeping the little incident under the table. Elizaveta still searched for ways to be a mother while still staying faithful to Roderich (she had considered a lot of options, but none had spoken out to her yet). After a while, things were back to normal between the two of them. Elizaveta took in more hours at work due to her frustration over her childless life, and Roderich's performances were becoming highly demanded. Overall, the house they lived in began to get neglected. Neither of them wanted to be alone in the house, but Roderich didn't like the idea of a stranger in the house to clean it for them. After a while, Elizaveta finally managed to get Roderich to cave.

"Fine." he sighed, "But we should find someone who won't cost too much and still do an honest job." Roderich said.

They finally found a person who sounded all right. He wasn't a 'maid' or anything, but he was a personal assistant who specialized in money. He would cook, clean, balance the cheque book, and do other sorts of miscellaneous odd jobs around the house for reasonable wages and room and board. Roderich agreed to hire him, even though only Elizaveta had met him (Roderich had a concert the day of the meeting, but he was sure that Elizaveta could take care of herself).

The day that their new, live-in aid was to arrive and move in, Roderich decided to hole himself up in the music room. He still didn't enjoy meeting new people, even after all of this time (he could meet and talk to people just fine, he just tried to avoid it). He heard Elizaveta chatting to their new guest in the hall, probably, leading him to Roderich so they could meet. Roderich continued with his piano, not bothering to stop even when they walked into the room. Roderich played the rest of his song, repeating a cord twice to prolong it, and finally finished the song. He let the notes hang in the silent air for a minute, not turning around.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the suddenly not-so-unfamiliar stranger speak.

"After all of this time, you still hide behind that damn piano, don't you?"

Roderich wheeled around and was pleasantly surprised to see an old friend standing in the doorway.

Vash had barely changed since the last time he had seen him. He'd maybe grown a few centimeters and put on some muscle, but other than that, he was exactly the same.

"Vash!" Roderich exclaimed, leaping from his seat. He quickly rushed over and crushed Vash into his chest with a hug, "It's really you! I can't believe it!"

"Yes, it's me. Now get off so I can breath." Vash said, his disgruntled voice deeper than Roderich remembered, but still recognizable.

Roderich laughed and let go of Vash, who straightened his clothing, a light blush on his face. Elizaveta looked between the two, unsure of what had just transpired. Roderich smiled at her and wrapped an arm around Vash.

"Elizaveta." he said softly, "This is my best friend from my childhood in France, Vash Zwingli." he said.

Elizaveta brightened up, "I knew that his name sounded familiar!"

Vash rolled his eyes and shrugged out from under Roderich's arm, "Yes yes, tearful reunion and all that junk. Can we please get my stuff moved in first?"

Roderich laughed and followed Vash out to the small car that Vash owned. The rest of the afternoon was spent transporting Vash's various items into the house, not that their was a lot of them. All the while Roderich and Vash talked and caught up while Elizaveta squealed about how cute the two were and how adorable it was that they had met back up by chance like this. Vash only rolled his eyes and groaned while Roderich humored his wife.

After an hour of moving things up to the spare room, they all moved into the living room for tea.

"So how have you been Vash?" Roderich asked.

Vash shrugged, "Same old same old really. I've picked up another 'charge', as my mother oh-so-fondly called you when we were friends."

"Oh? Who?" Roderich asked.

Vash smiled slightly to himself, "My little sister, Liechtenstein. Lili for short."

Elizaveta cooed, "Aw, how cute! Where is she now?"

"At a boarding school in Switzerland." Vash said, sipping his tea, "Hm, good tea."

"I didn't know you had a sister." Roderich said.

Vash leaned back in his chair, "Neither did I until a few years ago. She was living in an orphanage when I found her."

Elizaveta shook her head, "Poor girl. She's doing all right now though?"

Vash nodded, "Yeah, she's doing all right. Getting good marks in school."

They chatted for a while, mostly telling each other about their lives thus far. Vash had started out as a banker, but he'd been let go after 'accidentally' shooting someone who tried to rob the bank (he was licensed for that gun dammit!). After that he'd sort of worked doing an assortment of jobs, but after he'd found his sister (half sister to be technical), he'd buckled down again and started working as a personal assistant (who specialized in saving money) to help support her schooling. Vash did reveal that he'd been fired a number of times for getting involved in a few, one time affairs.

"Hey, I reminded them that they were married or had boyfriends or girlfriends. If they choose to ignore that, it's not my problem." Vash said.

Elizaveta looked a little curious, "But you left after the first time, how come?"

"It was only beneficial the first time." Vash explained, "After that, it all becomes too complicated. Sleep with them the first time and satisfy my needs, then inform the significant other that their wife or husband is a cheating whore."

Roderich laughed nervously, "Er, that's an interesting way of looking at it."

Elizaveta thought for a moment, then something seemed to occur to her, "Wife _or_ husband? You're bi?"

Vash shrugged, "I don't care really. It's just sex."

Elizaveta thought about it, then shrugged and left it alone. Roderich sighed in relief, he'd rather not have his wife and his best friend fight with each other. He looked over at Vash and smiled again, he was ecstatic to see him after all of this time.

They talked for a while before Vash decided he wanted to unpack before it got too late. Roderich offered to help, but Vash declined, saying he liked his things a particular way. Roderich only sighed and went to the music room while Elizaveta took the time to cook dinner, even though it was supposed to be Vash's job from now on. Vash reappeared just as dinner was being served. He blanched a little at all of the expensive ingredients, saying how you could get the same thing for a lot cheaper.

"I agree, but Elizaveta controls the grocery shopping in the house." Roderich said, unhappy about their food budget as well. Honestly, it was the same thing, just a different brand.

Vash huffed, "Well, from now on, I control the grocery shopping, and the monthly budget, so you're going to have to follow it."

Elizaveta rolled her eyes and served dinner, almost knocking over the salt shaker as she did so. Dinner was a nice affair, not as vocal as tea was though, seeing as they were trying to eat at the same time. This time, however, the conversation was centered more around business, mostly what Vash was going to do around the house. It was all of the basic things, cleaning, cooking, and grocery shopping, combined with a few other things, like cheque book balancing, helping out with miscellaneous jobs, and keeping track of schedules.

"You're going to save a lot more money with me around, I assure you." Vash said, finishing his plate of food.

"We're paying for you to be here, how are you going to save us money?" Roderich asked, half teasing.

Vash smirked at him, "Just watch."

True to his word, Vash managed to save them money. Elizaveta wasn't too happy with all of the cut backs on her food budget, but Vash compensated by letting her buy all of the same expensive beauty products. Roderich was a lot happier with the arrangements, seeing as he had more money saved away for things (like a new piano). He was also happy to be around Vash again, and spent whatever time he could near Vash, who strongly protested.

"Go fucking practice your piano! Or fuck your wife! I have work to do!" Vash yelled, pushing Roderich away with one hand.

Roderich rolled his eyes, "Stick in the mud."

"Fuck you!"

Roderich laughed and sat down next to Vash again, who grumbled, but didn't push him away this time.

Eventually, Christmas rolled around and Roderich and Elizaveta were preparing for their third Christmas together. They wondered what Vash would be doing for Christmas, but decided not to press him for details. It wasn't until a two weeks before Christmas that they had any idea what Vash would be doing for the holidays.

"Hey." Vash called, "Is it alright if my sister comes here for the holidays?"

Roderich blinked then said, "Oh, yes that's fine. I'd like to meet your sister."

Elizaveta nodded, "I'd like to meet her too." she agreed.

Vash nodded his head once, "Alright then. I'll arrange it. BY the way, I'll be commandeering one of your guest rooms for her stay, just so you know." He said as he left the room.

Elizaveta sighed, "Bit of a character that one." she said.

Roderich laughed, "You should see him when he gets really pissed off. I still have a scar from where he threw a book at me."

Elizaveta sighed again, but smiled anyway. Roderich smiled back and went back to his sheet music.

Three days later, a young girl came back with Vash from the train station. She was small, smaller than Vash by quite a bit, with short blond hair styled similar to Vash. She had pretty thickly lashed green eyes and a shy smile.

"H-hello." she said, dipping her head to Roderich and Elizaveta, "My name is Liechtenstein Zwingli. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Elizaveta giggled, "It's a pleasure to meet you!" she said.

Liechtenstein smiled a little brighter at that. Behind her, Vash closed the door, shaking off the snow that clung to his clothing. Liechtenstein remembered that she too had yet to remove her jacket and began unbuttoning her coat. Her fluffy mittens got in the way however, and try as she might, she couldn't seem to free them.

"Here." Vash said, "Let me." he said, untangling her mitten from the button and finishing undoing the buttons.

"Sorry brother. Thank you." Liechtenstein said.

Vash took her coat and hung it up, "Never mind. Don't apologize for things that aren't your fault."

Liechtenstein smiled, "Yes, I'm sorry, I forgot."

Vash rolled his eyes and hung up his coat as well. Elizaveta giggled at the exchange and Roderich smiled. Vash would never change, would he?

The entire holiday passed with little trouble (if you didn't count Roderich finding out that Gilbert was now a multi million selling musician and sulking about it, and Liechtenstein setting fire to the stove). Elizaveta and Liechtenstein bonded right away, and Roderich could swear that the two's little 'reading sessions' were accompanied by a lot of squealing (A/C; Oh come on, you know what I'm talking about ;D).

After the holidays passed, Lili went back to Switzerland for school, even though Elizaveta begged her not to go (she rather enjoyed having another girl in the house). Roderich and Vash only rolled their eyes at the tearful goodbye. Lili said goodbye one more time before Vash drove her to the train station.

"Too bad she had to leave." Elizaveta sighed, "I would have liked talking to her more."

Roderich rolled his eyes and sat down by the window, content to wait for Vash to return.

Over the next month, Roderich realized that he was noticing Vash more. He noticed a lot of little things about Vash, like the exact shade of red he would go when he was embarrassed or angry. Or how Vash's voice would go up an exact octave when he screamed. Or how he would smile to himself sometimes when he was deep in thought, and how it made him look very hansom. Or how now that the two of them had grown up, Vash barely reached his nose in height (he reached it by just by a centimeter). Or how he would bend at the hips instead of at the waist so his tight little butt stuck out-

_Oh shit!_

Roderich shot up from his piano bench. He was not- _could not_ -be falling for his best friend. Not only was he _married_, Vash was quite obviously a _man_! He couldn't get these feelings! It must be a mistake. Roderich ran through the thoughts in his mind again. Red face, high voice, hansom smile, short height, cute ass- _fuck!_ Shit this was bad. Roderich took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. This was okay, he could live with this, he just had to keep it from Vash and Elizaveta. Eventually this little thing would blow over and he would be happy with Elizaveta as his wife and Vash as his assistant.

Fate however, seemed to have other plans for him.

As much as Roderich tried, he couldn't get the perpetually disgruntled Swiss out of his head, even while in bed with Elizaveta. To top it off, Roderich became less and less interested in sexual relations with Elizaveta, and had to imagine Vash to get himself aroused. How embarrassing.

One day, Roderich snapped.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Vash asked as Roderich wrapped his arms around the smaller man.

"I'm sorry." Roderich said, tightening his arms around Vash, "I'm in love with you."

Vash's entire body tensed. For a long moment, neither of them said a word, then Vash said, "You're married."

"I know." Roderich said. He pulled back and looked into Vash's eyes. Seeing no resistance, only uncertainty, in the green depths, he leaned forward and laid a kiss to the others soft lips.

Vash didn't react for a moment, then he tentatively kissed back, more like he was testing the waters than out of shyness. Roderich pressed his tongue against Vash's lips, delving in when they parted for him. Roderich hungrily swallowed up the breathy moan that Vash let out when their slippery wet muscles collided. Roderich reached up and made quick work of Vash's sweater, pulling it over his head and tossing it to the floor. He loosened the tie and began unbuttoning Vash's shirt, descending on his neck as he did so.

"M~m~h." Vash moaned as Roderich licked his ear. He wrapped his arms around Roderich's torso, murmuring encouraging things.

Roderich tossed the shirt away, leaving the tie in place. Roderich continued to kiss and lick down Vash's neck and onto his chest, biting his nipple. Vash hissed and arched his back, trying to get closer. Roderich growled and quickly stripped him of his pants and boxers, leaving the other man naked save for his tie. Vash put his hands in Roderich's hair, gripping tightly, and tipped his head back to stare into his eyes.

"You realize that if we go farther, I have a responsibility." Vash said.

Roderich stared into those green depths for another moment before lunging forward and kissing Vash on the lips, his tongue delving into the other's mouth. That should be good enough of an answer.

They kissed for a while, then broke apart, a thin line of pearlescent saliva connecting their tongues then breaking off. Roderich grabbed Vash's tiny shoulders and spun him around, then bent him forward so his delicious ass was grinding against Roderich's hips. Vash moaned, and it set Roderich's blood on fire. He attached himself to Vash's neck again and presented tree fingers for Vash to lubricate. Vash hesitated a moment, then took the digits into his mouth, sucking on them. Roderich abandoned the neck, so the mark wouldn't be too dark and instead bit and licked his shoulders and back instead.

Roderich removed his fingers and trailed one down to the puckered entrance. He slid one in and, watched a shudder crawl up the others back. Roderich smirked and added another finger, simultaneously licking the back of Vash's neck, causing him to moan rather loudly. Roderich added the third finger, stretching the tight entrance.

Roderich retracted his fingers and stepped back to take a look at the Swiss. Vash was naked, flushed, and bent over his piano bench, his ass sticking into the air and various love bites marking the pale expanse of his back. Vash looked over his shoulder at Roderich and glared.

"If you say you want to stop now, I'm going to flip you over and fuck you myself." he growled.

Roderich laughed, then unbuckled his pants and tugged his aching member from his underwear. He pondered for a moment if he should find some lube for his cock, but decided against it and aligned himself with the stretch hole. Vash whined and pushed his hips back, pressing the tip of the engorged erection into his entrance. Roderich groaned and thrusted his hips forward.

Roderich let out a cry as his entire length was engulfed by Vash's tight ass. It was so much better than being with Elizaveta, as much as he loathed to admit. It was tighter, hotter, and it was exactly the way he wanted it, rough and wild.

"M-move." Vash groaned out, pressing his hips back and purposefully squeezing his muscles around Roderich.

Roderich growled and thrusted forward, nearly making Vash's knees crash into the piano bench. Vash cried out, and Roderich was glad that it was only the two of them in the house right now. He thrusted again, this time brushing the little bundle of nerves nestled deep in Vash's entrance. Vash all but screamed, saying something along the lines of Roderich's name and garbled nonsense. Roderich decided he liked that sound and began battering the same spot, pleased when it yielded the same results.

"Faster." Vash ground out.

Roderich smirked and did as asked (more like commanded, but he really didn't have the brain power at the moment to differ the two), picking up a relentless, rough rhythm. Vash groaned and bucked his hips back in time to each thrust, making the piano bench skid across the floor a little. Roderich reached his hand around to grasp Vash's neglected erection tightly and start pumping him in time with the rough thrusts.

"I'm not-t gonna l-last." Vash panted, his walls clamping around Roderich's hard cock.

Roderich smirked and leaned forward over Vash's back, "Me neither." he breathed, licking the shell of Vash's ear and tightening his hand around Vash's dick.

With that, Vash arched his back and came, splattering the piano bench and Roderich's hand with his sticky come. Roderich felt the constriction on his own cock and came with a groan inside the Swiss, snapping his hips forward and as close as possible to the others (probably bruised) backside.

As they gained the precious IQ points back, Roderich pulled himself from Vash's hole, panting. Vash's knees buckled and he thumped to the floor, landing on his rump.

"Ouch." he grunted.

Roderich chuckled breathily and crouched down beside the naked male, "You okay?" he asked.

Vash glared, "No, I just got a dick shoved up my ass, then fell on it. How would you feel?"

Roderich laughed again and gathered up the drained Swiss in his arms. He carried the other up the stairs and into his bedroom, noticing how light he felt in his arms. He gently placed him down on the bed and covered him with the sheets.

"I'll go down stairs and clean up. You just rest, okay?" Roderich said, smiling.

Vash grumbled, "Whatever, and put yourself away for crying out loud!" he cried.

Roderich laughed and shoved his spent member back into his pants. He locked the door from the inside before exiting the room. Roderich went back downstairs and cleaned the mess that their raunchy escapade made in the music room. He even used some air freshener to get rid of the smell of sweat and come.

Strangely, Roderich felt only a little guilty for sleeping with Vash. He really loved Elizaveta, but every fiber in his being starved for Vash. He wondered how Elizaveta would react when or if (Roderich felt optimistic) she found out. Probably not very well.

_You realize that if we go farther, I have a responsibility._

Well shit.

Roderich finished getting rid of the evidence and had changed his clothing when Elizaveta walked in the door.

"I'm back!" she called, embracing her husband, "Did you boys play nice while I was away?"

Roderich smiled, "Yes. Yes we did."

That night, when Vash came down the stairs for dinner, Roderich glanced between him and Elizaveta, wondering what Vash would do. Vash caught his eye and looked away, as if to say, 'You brought this upon yourself'. They all sat down at the table and began eating. Elizaveta chatted the entire time, telling the two boys about how her day went. Roderich in turn told her how his day went, skipping over the extramarital sex he participated in with another man.

"So what about you Vash? You haven't said a word the entire time. Is there something you'd like to say?" Elizaveta asked the small male.

Roderich felt his heart speed up. If Vash was going to tell Elizaveta about them, now would be the best time. He waited for Vash to break the news, preparing for any flying objects.

"Nothing happened today, thank you for asking Elizaveta." Vash said, taking another bit of his meal.

Roderich was torn between being relived and stunned. Didn't Vash say that he always told the wife or husband after the first time? Vash caught his eye again from across the table and offered a sad smile and a mouthed, 'I'm sorry'.

Later that evening, Roderich cornered Vash in a closet.

"Why didn't you tell her?" Roderich asked.

"Tell her what?" Vash said defiantly.

Roderich rolled his eyes, "Why didn't you tell her about us?"

Vash smirked, "There's nothing to tell Roderich. Nothing happened." he said, ducking under Roderich's arm and walking out of the closet. He half turned to face Roderich, "And _nothing_ will continue to happen, right?"

As Vash walked away, Roderich wondered what he meant. Nothing? But they-

Oh.

_Oh._

_Ooooooooooh._

Well then.

For a while, Roderich and Vash continued to have sex behind Elizaveta's back with little problems. However, as time wore on, it became harder and harder to conceal the relationship. They nearly got caught a number of times, and there were times where they both nearly broke down and told Elizaveta. Still, they found ways to continue fucking each other secretly (and in more creative places). However, try as you might to keep a sand castle from crumbling, sooner or later, it's going to come crashing down.

"How could you!" Elizaveta screeched as Roderich scrambled to put his clothing on, Vash hiding his body under the sheets.

"Elizaveta! Wait!" he called as he struggled with his pants. He reached the hallway just as Elizaveta slammed the door to the house. Roderich stood in the doorway, wondering what he should do now. He must have said the words aloud without realizing it because the next thing he heard was;

"Choose."

Roderich turned to Vash. The other man was pulling his clothing on and straightening his sex hair.

"You can only have one of us, choose which one." Vash said, not looking at Roderich. He got up off the bed and walked over to him. Vash wrapped his arms around Roderich's shoulders and brought him down for a kiss, "I'm so stupid." he said, "Falling in love with someone like you. I must be out of my mind." and with that, he dropped his arms and exited the house.

Roderich sat down o the bed and buried his head in his hands. This was a mess. If he stayed with one, he lost the other. Roderich stayed on the bed for a long moment before getting up and walking to the music room. He sat down at the piano and began to play. After an hour, he got up from the piano, his head clear, and dressed himself.

A moment later, Roderich was out on the streets, searching for his wayward wife.

Three hours later, he found her, crying on the beach. He walked slowly over to her, not wanting to frighten her away. Roderich sat down a few meters away from her. She looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

"Why?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Roderich didn't say anything for a long moment, "Because it's Vash." he said at last, "If it was any other person, I wouldn't have even thought of doing such a thing. But Vash . . . he's everything to me. He always was, never stopped being, everything. Don't get me wrong, I love you, I really do, I just . . . With Vash its . . . more passionate. He's someone I can get into fights with and not let it drag us apart. He's someone who'll tell me when I'm out of line. And . . . he's someone who doesn't care that I can't have children." he finished, saying the last part quietly.

Elizaveta shook her head, "Roderich, I never ca-"

"Don't lie Elizaveta." Roderich cut her off, "I could always tell that you were upset with me for not being able to give you children. You hid it very well, but I could still tell."

Elizaveta didn't say anything and looked away. They stayed that way for maybe a half an hour, neither of them saying a word. Finally, Elizaveta broke the silence.

"So I guess this is goodbye then." she said quietly.

Roderich sighed sadly, "I'm sorry Elizaveta."

A week later, the divorce papers were signed and the two of them split the belongings (Elizaveta fairly not trying to take everything). Elizaveta got the house, Roderich kept all of the musical instruments, and they debated over everything else. They split the money they had saved together and said their goodbyes. When Roderich's family heard about what happened, they were furious, and nearly disowned him (but not quiet).

After a month, Roderich got a call. He was just finishing dinner in his new (temporary) apartment, so it took him a minute to get to the phone.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Roderich." came that all too familiar voice from the other side of the phone, "I heard about your divorce."

Roderich smiled, "It's all right."

Vash didn't say anything for a long moment, "I'm moving back to Switzerland. I've got an okay house over there, but it's too big. It needs another person."

Roderich smiled again, "I'd love to come with you Vash, thank you for asking."

Vash huffed, "Don't just assume things like that. You'll get into a lot of embarrassing situations."

Roderich laughed, "I'll try to remember that."

A week later, he was moving his things into a nice home in the Swiss country side. They cleared out a large closet and turned it into a music room for Roderich and switched Vash's twin bed for a double, so there was room for the both of them. When Lili heard about the new arrangement and the circumstances behind them, she was very surprised and very apologized, even though it was far from her fault (Vash explained that that was just how she was).

Living with the Swiss as a couple turned out to be not much different from the circumstances before, the only difference was that now they could be more open about the activities they did as a couple (ahem). They could also go out on dates, but neither of them were all that into them. They usually spent the nights they had together in bed/on the couch/on the table/in the bathroom/in that one spot on the porch that was really comfortable (never mind the old lady who walked past sometimes), rather than out somewhere (if you didn't count the back of the car in a secluded area).

"Vash?" Lili said, peeking her head around the door, "How much is it to see a live concert?"

Vash thought for a moment, "Around fifty dollars or more. Why?"

Lili shifted her feet, "Well, there's this band I really like, and they're playing in the next town over, so I thought maybe I could go?" she said, making it sound like a question.

"Which band?" Roderich asked.

"Um . . . the Bad Company Trio." Lili said.

Roderich rolled his eyes, "Oh them."

Lili tilted her head to the side, "You don't like them?"

Roderich smiled at her, "It's not that, it's just that my annoying cousin is one of the members."

Lili's eyes widened in surprise, then she looked like she wanted to say something, but didn't know if she should.

Roderich smiled at her again, "Would you like me to see if I can get discount tickets for you?"

Lili nodded vigorously, smiling, "Could you? Please?"

Looking into her hopeful face, Roderich couldn't help but let his heart melt a little, "I'll give it my best shot."

A week after that, the tree of them not only were seeing the show for a quarter of the price that anyone else paid (their manager was prickly about money), but they also had free back stage passes. Lili had been so excited that she had almost knocked Roderich over with the force of her hug. Roderich sat uncomfortably in his seat as the show started. He didn't pay much attention to the introduction, but when the music started, Roderich was surprised to hear Gilbert's voice float over the crowd.

_I have nothing left to give I have found the perfect end You were made to make it hurt Disappear into the dirt Carry me to heaven's arms Light the way and let me go Take the time to take my breath I will end where I began  And I will find the enemy within Because I can feel it crawl beneath my skin  Dear Agony Just let go of me Suffer slowly Is this the way it's got to be? Dear Agony  Dear Agony Just let go of me Suffer slowly Is this the way it's got to be? Don't bury me Faceless enemy I'm so sorry Is this the way it's gotta be? Dear Agony  Suddenly The lights go out Let forever Drag me down I will fight for one last breath I will fight until the end  And I will find the enemy within Because I can feel it crawl beneath my skin  Dear Agony Just let go of me Suffer slowly Is this the way it's got to be? Don't bury me Faceless enemy I'm so sorry Is this the way it's gotta be? Dear Agony  Leave me alone God let me go I'm blue and cold Black sky will burn Love pull me down Hate lift me up Just turn around There's nothing left  Somewhere far beyond this world I feel nothing anymore  Dear Agony Just let go of me Suffer slowly Is this the way it's got to be? Don't bury me Faceless enemy I'm so sorry Is this the way it's gotta be? Dear Agony  I feel nothing anymore_

Roderich sat back in his seat and grumbled, even as the people around him seemed to throw themselves into an uproar. Who knew that Gilbert was such a good singer? And his lyrics weren't all that bad either. Roderich sighed, well, it had been a few years since they had seen each other (they were both at Ludwig's wedding, but they had avoided each other to the best of their abilities), maybe he'd grown a bit.

After the show, the three of them all found their way back stage, guided by two very large men. Roderich gripped Vash's hand so he wouldn't be tempted to reach for his gun (crowds did that to the Swiss).

"Hey Roddy!" a voice called. Standing at the end of the hallway was the pseudo-albino himself, still decked out in his stage clothing. Gilbert walked over and clapped Roderich on the shoulder, "How ya been cuz? Heard about your divorce. Shit, and I though she was going to be the one to fuck it up."

"Hello Gilbert." Roderich said, prying the other's arm from his shoulder.

Gilbert rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the young girl with them, "Hey there sweetie, what's your name?"

Lili blushed, "L-Liechtenstein." she said. She held out the latest Bad Company Trio album with shaking hands.

"Want me to sign that for you?" Gilbert asked, smirking.

Lili nodded and handed the CD to the German. Gilbert pulled out a sharpie and signed the small square of plastic.

"Just hang on a sec and I'll get the other guys to sign it as well." he said, just as a tanned man and a scruffy blonde walked over to them.

After the introductions were over (Francis Bonnefoy and Antonio Fernandez Carriedo), the band invited them to come to the room for a while. Vash and Roderich wanted to say no, but Lili really wanted to stay, so they accepted. Once they got there, there were few more introductions (Arthur Kirkland; a British author, Lovino Vargas; an Italian singer, and Matthew Williams; a Canadian photographer), and some explaining of who was with who (something like this, if Roderich's mind served him correctly; Francis - Arthur, Antonio - Lovino, and Gilbert - Matthew).

"So you ditched the crazy Hungarian for a violent Swiss?" Gilbert asked as they watched Vash and Arthur swear at Francis for being a pervert, "What a trade off." he said sarcastically.

Roderich rolled his eyes, "I did not 'ditch' Elizaveta, and Vash is just special."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow, "'Special'? With a capital 'R'? I'd believe that."

Roderich punched him in the shoulder, "You know what I mean." he huffed.

Gilbert laughed, then his eyes softened as his gaze fell on the young Canadian, who was trying to stop Arthur from strangling Francis, "Yeah, do I ever." he said softly.

"_Interesting."_ Roderich thought, _"So even people like Gilbert can grow up."_

**Author Commentary:** Sorry I didn't get this to you on time. I thought for sure that I could get it to you on Sunday, but I bit off more than I could chew apparently. I don't really like the quality of the het smut in here, but I'll live with it. Anyways, hope you liked it. Review me! They are the food that keeps my confidence alive! Once again, I'm sorry all you AustriaxHungary and Hungary fans, but lets face it, it **is** my story after all.


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